


Somewhere In Neverland

by Celosia



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: 2P America (Hetalia), 2P Germany (Hetalia), 2P Prussia (Hetalia), Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Camping, Childhood Sweethearts, F/F, Fluff, Growing Up Together, Hetalia & 2P Hetalia, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage, Nyotalia, Slice of Life, trans 2p America
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-03 22:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 26,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21186770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celosia/pseuds/Celosia
Summary: Lovino could never understand why his grandfather had always ended up planning those stupid group camping trips. He hated them with a passion. However, that all began to change when on one such trip he met Mattie, the one person he wants to spend the rest of his life with. Of course, it didn't help that for years Lovino believed that Matthew was a girl before learning the truth...





	1. Chapter 1

“Marianne! It’s so good to see you again. I’m so glad that you and your family could finally end up making it on the trip this summer!” Lovino’s grandfather exclaimed, rushing over and embracing the woman in an affectionate hug as she got out of her car. It merely made her laugh as the two began talking about some sort of meaningless drivel that Lovino cared nothing about.

Meanwhile, Lovino sat on the ground nearby, his arms crossed as he poked at the ground with a stick, watching his younger brother. He was in as foul of a mood as any eight year old would be when being taken away from the comforts of his own home. Even if it was only going to be for two weeks. Even if he’d had the exact same complaints for the past two years. _ Stupid camping trip. Stupid bugs. Stupid dirt. Stupid nature… Stupid potato heads. Stupid fratellino. Stupid Nonno. This is all his fault. I didn’t want to come on this stupid trip but he made me anyways. It’s not fair! _

“Feliciano! Lovino! Come and say hello to the new campers!” Romulus called, waving the boys over to him.

“Ve~ Okay!” Feli exclaimed, the six year old skipping over to where their grandfather and a growing group of people were all gathering around and laughing.

“No! I don’t want to!” Lovino huffed, twisting around on the ground. He didn’t want to be there and he certainly didn’t want to be around anybody. He just wished that his grandfather would hurry up and set up their tent so that he could hide inside away from everybody else. He didn’t see the reason why his grandfather bothered setting up these yearly trips when it just seemed like a waste of time and too many people to Lovino.

Lovino rubbed at his eyes when they started burning slightly, pushing back any tears that were starting to well up. _ No, I’m not going to cry. I’m not! Not around these strangers, not ever! _

“Excuse me? Are you Lovino?”

It was a woman’s voice.

Still pouting and rubbing his eyes, Lovino looked up at her. She had dark blonde hair, a gentle smile, and blue eyes that looked almost as if they could’ve been purple in the right lighting. She was the same woman that his grandfather had just been talking to. “Yeah, so?” he mumbled, puffing out his cheeks and trying to inch away. It wasn’t until Lovino saw the head of pretty blonde curls and bright violet eyes shyly peeking out from behind the woman’s skirt that he froze.

Whatever else the woman tried to say went completely over Lovino’s head as he continued to stare at the girl who nervously smoothed out the skirt of her mermaid scale sundress. _ She’s...beautiful… _ A dark flush crept across his face as she stepped forward and held out one of her hands. Her other was firmly holding a book of fairy tales to her chest.

“H-Hi. My name’s Mattie,” she mumbled, and Lovino instantly felt like he was going to melt into the ground. “I was...wondering if...you’d like to read with me?”

Gulping, Lovino shakily held out his own hand to hold Mattie’s. “C-C-C-Ciao. M-My name’s L-Lovino, but y-you can call m-m-me Lovi.” He bit his lip, quickly looking at the ground. _ Why can’t I talk right? My chest feels so funny and my face feels like fire… And her hand is really warm and soft… _ “I w-wouldn’t mind. Everyone else is being loud idiots right now anyways,” he mumbled, standing up and gently tugging on Mattie’s hand to lead her towards one of the nearby trees in the clearing.

Mattie smiled as she sat next to Lovino under the tree, opening the book across their laps. “I was just about to start reading _ Peter Pan _. Have you ever read it before?”

“No. What’s it about?” Lovino asked, blinking in surprise as Mattie leaned her head against his shoulder. Her hair smelled like lavender.

“Well, there’s this land called Neverland, and it’s called that because if you go there, you never have to grow up,” Mattie replied, smiling brightly up at Lovino.

It just made his blush burn brighter as he quickly averted his gaze back to the pictures in the book. He listened intently though as Mattie explained the story to him and brought the characters to life. Of the Lost Boys living in the woods. Of fighting against the villainous Captain Hook and the crocodile. Of Tinkerbell and the fairies that could only live if people believed in them. Of the fairy dust that could give people the power to fly. Of the love story between Wendy and Peter.

Of course the one complaint that Lovino had was the kiss. “That wasn’t a _ real _ kiss. It was just a stupid thimble! If _ we _ were Wendy and Peter, then _ I _ would’ve given you a real one,” Lovino proclaimed proudly, only for his blush to overtake his cheeks once again. _ I can’t believe I just said that out loud. What if she thinks I’m an idiot for saying that!? _

“...Really? You’d kiss me?”

Lovino blinked in surprise at the awe that was in Mattie’s voice, her violet eyes seeming to sparkle. “O-Of course I would,” he mumbled, holding onto Mattie’s hand. Taking a deep breath, he leaned in, pressing a quick peck to her cheek. “I would run away with you to Neverland…”

Mattie’s smile made Lovino’s heart flutter as she turned back to the book, leaning her head on his shoulder again and delving back into the stories. It wasn’t long before her voice, amidst a series of yawns, eventually trailed off into silence.

As he glanced down at the sleeping girl and eventually leaned his head against Mattie’s, he had the distinct thought that if she was going to be there, then he wouldn’t mind the camping trip that much after all.

The two weeks camping together passed far too quickly for Lovino’s liking though.

No matter how much they had pretended to be Wendy and Peter; no matter how much they had pretended to be part of the Lost Boys living in Neverland; no matter how much Lovino pretended to fight off Captain Hook and Mister Smee, courtesy of Antonio and Gilbert respectively, in order to save his Wendy; no matter how much time they spent being inseparable and nearly glued to the other’s side… No matter how much they tried to find the star that would lead them to Neverland, time still crept up on them.

“I wish you didn’t have to leave,” Lovino mumbled, staring down at his feet so that Mattie wouldn’t have to see the tears in his eyes. “I’m going to miss you…”

“I’m going to miss you too, Lovi…” Mattie murmured, throwing her arms around the brunette in a tight hug that Lovino couldn’t help but to return with equal enthusiasm. “B-But Maman said that we’ll be able to come on the camping trip again next year!”

“Mattie! It’s time to go!” Marianne called from where she had finished loading up their car, holding open the door.

Biting her lip, Mattie reluctantly let go and took a step back from Lovino as they both looked down at the book that was in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she held the book out to Lovino who raised a confused eyebrow. “Here. I want you to keep our book. That way you can remember our time in Neverland together…”

Tears slid down Lovino’s cheeks with renewed vigor as he nodded, clinging the book to his chest as Mattie pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll never forget…”


	2. Chapter 2

“When are they going to be here?” Lovino asked, sitting on the top of his grandfather’s truck. The book that Mattie had given him the previous year was resting on his lap as he stared intently at the road that connected to the clearing everyone had parked in. Everyone else had already arrived hours ago, and Lovino was beginning to get the sinking fear in his chest that she wouldn’t end up showing up, especially with as much as Lovino had been anticipating seeing Mattie again ever since the end of their last trip.

Romulus sighed as he finished helping the Beilschmidt brothers’ dad set up one of the tents. “Marianne and Mattie will be here when they get here, Lovi. There was probably just bad traffic or weather on the way here, since they have to travel so far and stay safe. Now get off that truck and help carry some of the food to the table so that we’ll be able to eat soon.”

Groaning, Lovino crossed his arms as he slid down into the cab of the truck, keeping the book carefully propped under one arm as he tried to drag one of the food coolers to the edge of the truckbed. He had almost succeeded when he heard the honking of a car. His head shot up, recognizing the car immediately as it parked, and before the familiar head of blonde curls even stepped out and waved at him, Lovino was already sprinting off to the car.

His arms wrapped Mattie, holding her tight as he picked her up and spun her around. He had missed her giggles so much... “You’re here! I was worried that you wouldn’t end up making it…”

Mattie nuzzled her cheek against Lovino’s shoulder, reluctant to even move away. “I’m sorry. Maman almost ended up hitting it a deer on the way here. It was really really scary! I’m just glad that the deer didn’t end up getting hurt.”

Lovino raised an eyebrow. “Who cares about a deer? I’m just glad that  _ you _ didn’t end up getting hurt,” he grumbled, giving Mattie a tight squeeze before finally letting go and holding up the book. His face was flushed as he scuffed his feet against the ground. “I brought it with me so that we can go to Neverland again, i-if you still want to…”

“You kept it safe…”

“O-Of course I did!” Lovino exclaimed, puffing out his cheeks, feeling slightly offended that Mattie would think otherwise. The peck of lips on his cheek immediately made him deflate and hide his face behind the book as he grabbed Mattie’s hand and pulled her along with him.  _ Maybe we’ll actually be able to find Neverland this time… _

The days passed in a similar manner as their adventures continued, and Lovino was all the happier for it. Even if it meant that he had to put up with comments by the other boys about how it only ever seemed that Lovino was happy whenever Mattie was around. Of course that had led to several threats on Lovino’s end for them to shut up or he’d kick them in the balls, but he had made sure to only make those kinds of threats whenever Mattie wasn’t around considering she had nearly burst into tears the first time that Lovino had yelled at the others. (“ _ Maman and Papa used to yell at each other a lot, and then one day Papa left and didn’t come back,” _ Mattie would later explain to Lovino.)

“C’mon, Wendy,” Lovino called over his shoulder, his grip tight on the stick sword as he started to give chase after Gilbert and Antonio. “Captain Hook is getting away!”

“I’m coming, Peter!” Mattie responded, sounding out of breath as she tried to catch up. “Oof!” That was when Lovino heard the cry of pain, all thoughts of their game vanishing from his mind. “L-Lovi, wait!”

When he turned around, Mattie was on the ground, and Lovino instantly ran back to her side. “Mattie! What happened?” He bit his lip as he saw the bloody scraps on both of her knees and palms, dirt smeared across one of her cheeks.

“I think I tripped on a root…” she mumbled, using her arm to try to wipe the tears from her face. “It really really hurts…”

Tears welled up in Lovino’s eyes as he sniffled, using his shirt to help wipe off the tears and dirt. “H-Hey, don’t worry. I’ll get you back to camp, okay? I should be able to carry you since you’re smaller than me,” he mumbled, slipping an arm beneath Mattie’s knees and the other behind her back as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“J-Just don’t hurt yourself either…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine!” Lovino lifted her off the ground, struggling slightly at first before waddling off to the campground. He was panting with exhaustion by the time that he made it, his legs feeling like jelly as he managed to find Mattie’s mom so that she could doctor up the scrapes.

And all the while, Lovino stayed at Mattie’s side, hugging her whenever she would flinch from the stinging of the wounds until finally her hands and knees were wrapped up in bandages.

“I’m sorry that you got hurt… I shouldn’t have been running so fast,” he mumbled, the tight feeling of anxiety bubbling up in his chest.

Mattie only shook her head, gently holding Lovino’s hand. Her words made his anxiety immediately melt away, replacing it with a sense of pride that left him feeling as though he were on cloud nine. “It’s not your fault, Lovi! If anything, you’re my hero for carrying me all the way back here by yourself.”

_ I’m Mattie’s hero... _

For the rest of the camping trip, they had to put their search for Neverland on pause so that Mattie could heal. Even then, Lovino found that he was just as content to snuggle up in front of the fire, eating roasted marshmallows or just resting inside one of the tents and reading through all of their favorite stories. He just wished that their time could last forever…


	3. Chapter 3

Lovino sighed, his hands shaking nervously as he paced back and forth next to the truck. In all honesty, he shouldn’t feel so nervous. That’s what he kept telling himself anyways.

_ It feels funny how time passes so quickly… I remember when I used to absolutely hate coming on these camping trips that Nonno would plan. But now it’s the one thing during the year that I look forward to anymore because I get to see Mattie… It’s almost hard to believe that this’ll be the fourth time that we’ve been camping together. _

However, it didn’t matter how many times they may have already spent together, because now that Lovino was eleven, he had realized something while he had been at school. As he watched his other classmates, he saw how they interacted with each other, saw how the friends acted around one another, and saw the subsequent emergence of crushes and blossoming love between others.

It had been after that moment that Lovino had begun to think about his feelings for Mattie, because he knew that he and Mattie were friends. But Lovino also acted and felt differently around her than he did with anyone else. He always felt so much more nervous and blushed so much more. He hated seeing her cry, and it made him want to beat up whoever made her sad. He always wanted to be there for her and be by her side. He always liked holding her hand. Everytime they hugged, his stomach would always feel fluttery. Whenever he saw her smile, his heart would feel like it was about to burst in his chest.

And it didn’t matter how much time they spent apart from each other, his feelings never changed. He just missed Mattie all the more. And he didn’t feel that way about anyone else.

Of course when Lovino had tried to explain how he felt to his grandfather, Romulus just laughed, which only made him feel even more embarrassed and hide in his room until his grandfather finally offered to help Lovino plan something special for their next camping trip.

That was what led Lovino to be pacing so nervously, wearing a tuxedo-printed t-shirt as he waited for Mattie and her mom to show up. When he saw the car pulling up, he was sure that he’d end up having a panic attack, but as Mattie stepped out, any anxiety that he’d built up about his plan instantly vanished, being replaced instead with concern.

“Mattie! What happened?” Lovino asked, instantly at the blonde’s side to give her a hug and staring at the cast on her right arm.

Mattie leaned against Lovino, clinging onto his shirt and seeming completely exhausted. “Well… It’s kind of embarrassing,” Mattie mumbled, letting Lovino led her through one of the paths in the woods that came to one of their favorite trees, watching the way the flower petals drifted down on the breeze as they stood beneath it.

“You know I won’t care,” Lovino said, wrapping his arms around her and helping to tuck several stray curls behind her ear. Not for the first time, Lovino thought that she looked absolutely beautiful.

Fidgeting slightly with the hem of her shirt, Mattie whispered, “I saw a commercial for pixie dust and had Maman buy some… And I tried to...use it to fly...because I wanted to be able to see you sooner…” Lovino blinked as Mattie buried her face against his chest, his eyes widening with each tear-laden word that spilled from Mattie’s mouth. “I’ve just missed you  _ so much _ ...and I was tired of never being able to see you when I want to...and I wanted to be able to find Neverland so we can actually be together all the time, and...and--”

“I love you.”

Mattie blinked up at Lovino as the brunette wiped away the tears, a wide smile on her face. “...Do you really mean that?”

Despite the crimson blush on his cheeks, Lovino nodded, taking a deep breath. “Of course I do! You mean everything to me and I want us to spend forever together. A-And…I asked Nonno, and he helped me get you something…” he mumbled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the necklace that he had so painstakingly taken forever to pick out.

In the middle of the simple golden chain was a locket with a pair of fairy wings engraved onto the outside. 

It made Mattie gasp, covering her mouth with her hand. “ _ Lovi _ , it’s  _ beautiful _ …” she murmured, turning around so that Lovino could clasp the necklace.

Pride swelled in his chest as he watched Mattie.  _ I’m so glad that she loves it… And she feels the same way about me too! _ Clearing his throat, he reached out and held the locket. “I-It has something inside it too…” he mumbled, fingers shakily fumbling with opening the small clasp for her.

Tilting her head to the side, Mattie read the small inscription that was inside, tears welling up in her eyes again. “ _ You’re my Neverland _ … Lovi, I don’t know what to say… I would’ve never thought…”

Biting his lip, Lovino held onto Mattie’s good hand. “...When we get older, let’s get married! That’s what Nonno says that two people do when they love each other and want to be together forever. And then you could wear a really pretty dress and we would get to feed each other a giant cake!”

“What if it was a giant cake made out of  _ pancakes _ ?” Mattie asked, her eyes glistening and unable to keep the smile off of her face as both of them nearly bubbled with excitement.

“Iit can be whatever you want. I’ll make sure you get the best pancake cake that’s ever been made!” Lovino exclaimed, burying his face into Mattie’s hair whenever she hugged him. His voice was far more subdued whenever he asked his next question, almost as if he were afraid to hope for the answer that he wanted to hear. “...Does that… Does that mean you want us to get married?”

“Of course it does, silly,” Mattie mumbled, a giggle falling from her lips as she stood on her tiptoes to place a quick peck to Lovino’s cheek. “I love you too, and I always want us to be together…”

Laying down on the ground, they watched the clouds pass by overhead, brainstorming about everything that they would want for their wedding. The flowers, their clothes, the food… What they thought their first dance together would be like… Where the wedding should actually take place…

The two spent the entire camping trip trying to plan out what their dream wedding would be like, Lovino tasking himself with diligently writing down all of the details in one of Mattie’s notebooks as she described them.

It was the first time that Lovino could remember wishing that they could grow up faster; the first time that he was glad that they weren’t stuck in Neverland.


	4. Chapter 4

To say that Lovino wasn’t happy would’ve been an understatement. That anger wasn’t directed towards his grandfather; after all, it hadn’t been Romulus’s fault that they’d had to change the location of their annual camping trip. It was the fault of whatever shitheads had been stupid enough to start a fire and burn the area to the ground.

They had been going to the same campground ever since Lovino could remember, and it had been  _ special _ . A special place where he had met Mattie and they had all of their adventures in Neverland. Sure, the new campground they were at was nice, and it was next to a lake that they could swim in or go kayaking, but it wasn’t the same.

The only thing that lifted his spirits was when he saw Marianne’s car pull into the campground and he rushed to give Mattie a hug; she had all but leaped into his arms when she saw Lovino. That was when Lovino noticed that it wasn’t just Mattie and Marianne in the car this time.

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion when Mattie held a finger to her lips, miming to be quiet, as the pair snuck off down one of the paths towards the lake. “Is everything okay?”

Mattie sighed, her shoulders slumping with fatigue. “That was the worst car ride of my  _ life _ …” she groaned, her fingers twining around the golden chain that was around her neck.

_ The necklace! She’s still wearing it _ … It made Lovino’s heart beat faster in his chest as he wrapped his arms around Mattie. “What happened? Do I need to beat anyone up?”

That just made Mattie giggle as she rested her head against Lovino’s shoulder. “No, you don’t need to… It’s just that my Aunt Alice and her son, my cousin, Alfred ended up deciding to come along this time on the trip. Alfred was so loud and obnoxious during the entire trip. I wish I could’ve duct taped his mouth shut…”

“Or super glued it?” Lovino added teasingly.

“Yeah. Or super glue,” Mattie repeated, rubbing her eyes as she stood up straight.

And that was when Lovino noticed it, his eyes going wide as he put one of his hands on top of Mattie’s head. “You grew. We’re the same height now. You used to only be as tall as my nose.”

It only made Mattie laugh. “Yeah, I guess that’s what happens when you start growing up. It just means that we’re another year closer…”

“Yeah…” Lovino agreed, pressing a kiss to Mattie’s cheek and holding her hand. “Let’s go get your stuff and sneak it into my tent so that we can keep planning and keep you away from your stupid cousin.”

And it had worked...for the most part. It wasn’t until nearly a week into the trip that what became known as “The Swimming Incident” occurred. They had dressed in their swim trunks and t-shirts, standing at the end of one of the piers on the lake and staring down into the murky water.

“I don’t like how the water looks… What if there are lake monsters in there or giant fish? Or  _ dead bodies _ of drowned boaters?” Mattie mumbled, scrunching up her nose as she took a hesitant step closer to the edge.

“I mean… There always could be…” Lovino replied before grinning and holding Mattie’s hand. “But I’ll protect you if that’s the case.”

At the sound of rapid footsteps approaching, both of them turned to see Alfred running towards them. “Geronimo!” Alfred yelled, tackling Mattie off of the end of the pier and into the water.

There was a brief feeling of panic in Lovino’s chest as he watched the bubbling water of the lake until finally the two blondes broke the surface, Mattie coughing and sputtering while Alfred merely laughed like a maniac and swam to the later on the end of the pier with something in his hand.

“Alfred, you jerk, give them back! What if something bites me down there?” Mattie coughed out, and that was when Lovino realized that the object in Alfred’s hand was Mattie’s swim trunks.

“Then I guess you’ll lose your dick! If you want them, come and get them back, dude,” the blonde cackled, waving the wet fabric above his head like a flag as Mattie tried to hide in the water with increasing embarrassment.

It made Lovino freeze up, the words not quite computing in his mind. “What do you mean?” he asked, scrunching his nose in confusion, though he made sure to move between Alfred and the rest of the pier so that he wouldn’t be able to run off easily.

Alfred raised an eyebrow. “Uhhhh… We’re boys, so we have dicks? Haven’t you learned that in school?”

“I’m going to tell Aunt Alice that you said the  _ d-word _ , Alfred!”

“Fine!” Alfred groaned, rolling his eyes. “We have  _ penises _ !”

Lovino’s gaze darted between the two cousins, confusion evident on his crimson face as an unintelligible stream of stuttering fell from his lips.  _ There’s no way that Mattie could be a boy! She’s-- She’s Mattie. That can’t be… _ Biting his lip, Lovino kicked Alfred between the legs, watching as the other doubled over and taking back Mattie’s swim trunks before he pushed the  _ jerk _ into the water. He handed them over to Mattie who slipped them on before climbing up the ladder.

“I don’t think I want to swim anymore...” Mattie mumbled, wrapping her arms close around her and shivering.

Lovino could see the tears at the corners of her eyes. It probably wasn’t the best idea to ask right then, but he had to know. “Is what he said really true? ...You’re a  _ boy _ ?”

The answer made Lovino’s heart drop in his chest. “Of course I am. I’ve always been a boy. Maman introduced me as her son whenever we first met, remember?” Mattie asked, tilting her--no,  _ his  _ head and raising an eyebrow.

“Frick, I feel like an idiot,” Lovino mumbled, burying his burning face into his hands to try to hide the embarrassed tears that fell like a waterfall from his eyes. “I hadn’t ever paid attention to what your mom had said. I’ve thought you were a girl this entire time… I’m such an  _ idiot _ .”

There was a moment of silence.

“...Is that the only reason why you liked me? Because you thought I was a girl?” came the weak question.

With as truly miserable as Mattie sounded, Lovino felt as though his own heart was breaking. He didn’t want to hurt Mattie, didn’t want to be the one to end up hurting Mattie. He wanted to be able to say something,  _ anything _ , to reassure him but all of the words were stuck in Lovino’s throat and he found it almost impossible to breathe.

Lovino’s silence dragged on for too long though, and Mattie took it as an answer to his question. “O-Oh… I-- I see… I’m so sorry…” Footsteps were quickly retreating by the time that Lovino had managed to recover himself.

“W-Wait, Mattie! Fricking frickity frick…” Lovino was out of breath by the time that he had managed to run his way through the trails that led back to the campground. “Mattie!” Chewing on his lip, he looked around for some sort of sign as to where he went before he heard the quiet sobbing coming from inside their shared tent.  _ I feel like a piece of shit… _

He quickly went inside the tent, zipping it closed behind him and turning to the lump that was curled up inside of one of the sleeping bags. “M-Mattie, please…” Lovino murmured, letting out a small growl and pinning the sleeping bag to the ground when Mattie had tried to inch away. He pulled the sleeping bag away off of Mattie’s face. “I didn’t mean to make you cry… I’m really sorry… I didn’t mean to not answer. I didn’t mean to not say anything. I was just...caught off-guard really bad. I wasn’t expecting you to be a boy. I didn’t know that it was that possible for two boys to end up liking each other. Almost everybody always talks about couples like they’re supposed to only end up being a boy and a girl together, like that’s the only possibility. And when I first saw you, you looked so pretty with your curls and the dress that you wore, and I didn’t think that a  _ boy _ could be that pretty or wear dresses. And then you were happy to be Wendy when we all played Neverland, and even when I suggested about you wearing a dress for our wedding, you were always okay with it. And… And…” He trailed off, sniffling as he rubbed the tears from his eyes. “And I realized that I don’t care if you’re a girl or a boy, you’re still you and you haven’t changed and I’m still in love with you, even knowing that you’re a boy, and I still want us to get married and spend the rest of our lives together…” Swallowing thickly, he gave Mattie a watery smile. “You’re still the Wendy to my Peter, and that’s never going to change.”

“...You’re...not disappointed that I’m not how you expected me to be?” Mattie asked, wiggling slightly in the sleeping bag beneath Lovino.

“What? Of course fricking not!” Lovino scrunched up his nose. “You’re still you, Mattie. You’re still the soft, sweet, caring, beautiful person that I love… I’m not going to stop loving you just because I was wrong about you being a girl. Thinking that you were a girl was my mistake, not yours. You didn’t do anything wrong…” He put one of his hands on Mattie’s cheek, wiping his tears away with his thumb. “Now smile, dammit, before we end up making an ocean from our tears.”

That was what finally brought the smile back to Mattie’s face, a small laugh bubbling to his lips. “You’re amazing, you know? I was...so scared that you had ended up changing your mind about...us. About everything that we’ve talked about for so long…” His eyes slid closed as he sniffled, wiggling a hand free of the sleeping bag to cup Lovino’s cheek. “I’m so glad…because I never want to lose you.”

“You won’t…” Lovino murmured gently, taking a deep breath and leaning down to press a chaste kiss quickly to Mattie’s lips before he lost the nerve to. “I’m always going to be yours and no one else’s…”


	5. Chapter 5

Lovino sighed, looking at his watch with growing frustration and sense of disappointment. It was long past the time that Mattie and his mom should’ve made it to the camp. By that, he meant that it had been four days since the trip had begun, and they should’ve been there by now.

He hadn’t been able to sleep because of the nightmares that had been plaguing him with the fear that something had ended up happening to them. A million different “what if” scenarios had run through his mind since the first night. It had reduced him to a sobbing mess. He’d barely even left his tent except to go to the bathroom.

_ I can’t eat… I can’t sleep… I’m a fucking mess…  _

Sniffling, Lovino twisted onto his stomach, burying his face into his pillow as the tears that had been pricking at his eyes started to flow anew. He didn’t know when he had managed to finally doze off again, but he was eventually woken up by the sound of his grandfather’s voice outside of his tent.

“Lovino? Can I come in?”

“No.” He flopped over, turning his back to the entrance of the tent.

There was a moment of silence before Romulus spoke up again. “I just got off the phone with Marianne.”

Lovino’s eyes widened, and he scrambled to leave the tent, latching onto his grandfather’s leg. “Are they okay? Is Mattie going to be here soon?” The look on Romulus’s face stamped out whatever spark of hope had been rekindled in his chest.

“I’m sorry…” Romulus murmured, bending down and running a hand through Lovino’s hair. “They’re not going to be able to make it this year. A few days ago, Marianne ended up collapsing at her work. She’s in the hospital right now, and she’s very sick. They don’t know when she’s going to be able to leave the hospital… Matthew’s fine, just scared and missing you…” He sighed when Lovino all but buried his face into the ground. “I’m really sorry, Lovi… I know how much you were looking forward to this trip. Things like this happen though. It’s an unfortunate part of life…”

“Yeah, whatever. Just make everyone shut up so I can sleep… If anyone disturbs me, they’re getting kicked in the dick,” Lovino mumbled, crawling back into his tent and collapsing on his sleeping bag. For the first time in years, he found himself dreaming of Neverland.


	6. Chapter 6

“Ah! Fratello~ I’m so glad that we can finally be in the same school again together! Maybe we can have lunch together today?” Feliciano asked, the freshman bounding along the hallway with Ludwig in tow. Francis, Gilbert, and Antonio--all three of whom were  _ unfortunately _ juniors that were in the same classes along with Lovino--were chattering along behind them as well.

Lovino just wanted to be left alone. “Feli, you’ve been asking every day for the past fucking month since school started. It’ll be a cold day in  _ Hell _ before I say yes,” he grumbled, sipping at his still too-hot coffee with a grimace. He didn’t want to be there at all.

“Yes, well,  _ I _ heard that there’s going to be a new student in our grade who just transferred here,” Francis hummed, twirling a lock of his hair between his fingers. “Surely it wouldn’t hurt to end up throwing some sort of welcome party? Or at least inviting them to sit with us at lunch so we can get to know them.”

“Keep it in your fucking pants, bastard,” Lovino muttered, rolling his eyes before huffing as Antonio draped his arm over his shoulders.

“Oh, come on, Lovi~ It wouldn't kill you to try to make more friends. It might even do you some good!" Antonio exclaimed as the brunette shrugged him off.

"One, don't touch me. Two, fuck you. Three,  _ don't touch me _ ," he hissed, tugging his jacket closer to him, his nose scrunching up as he heard arguing up ahead in the adjacent hallway.  _ Looks like it's going to be one of those days... _

"C'mon, dude! You need to learn how to lighten up!"

"Do us both a favor and put a sock in it before I deck you. I'm not in the mood."

"You're  _ never _ in the mood for anything! That's the point! All I'm suggesting is that we invite some people over so that maybe you could--"

"You do not want to finish that sentence,  _ Jones _ ."

"But--"

"I know where you sleep at night, and you know your mother would kill you if you invited people over without permission. So stop."

"Okay, but if you'd  _ just _ hear me out, dude! Because there's this really big surprise that you're--"

" _ No.  _ No surprises. No parties. No  _ people _ . I just want--"

Rounding the corner, Lovino let out a curse as he ran straight into the person that Alfred had been arguing with. Papers went flying, and Lovino's coffee splattered everywhere. He bit back the hiss of pain as the hot liquid soaked through his shirt. Before he could say anything though, the other guy was already frantically apologizing and trying to salvage the coffee-stained papers on the floor.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry. I should've been paying more attention. It just seems like the universe kind of hates me for some reason," he mumbled, wincing at the sight of several of the soggy papers that began to rip as he picked them up. "Are you okay, at least? I’m sorry about the coffee. You didn't get hurt, did you…?" There was a brief moment of silence as the blonde stood up, his voice filled with disbelief. "... _ Lovi? _ "

Lovino froze in place when the stranger said his name, pausing in the middle of wringing coffee from his shirt to look  _ up _ . Literally. The student was a good half a head taller than Lovino, soft jaw-length blonde curls framing his face. Behind a pair of glasses were tired, red-rimmed violet eyes, as if he had been crying for an extended period of time.

And there was only one person that Lovino knew that had those eyes.

“...Mattie?” He almost didn’t want to believe it though. He almost  _ couldn’t  _ believe it. He felt like he was trapped inside of one of his dreams, and he was sure that in the next moment he would be woken up and have his heart shattered all over again.

All Matthew could do was nod slowly in a daze, hesitantly taking a step closer.

That was all it took to send Lovino over the edge though, his chest constricting painfully until he almost couldn’t breathe. Before he could even comprehend what was happening, he had pushed his way past his brother and his friends, his feet carrying him as quickly as possible down the hallway, ignoring the way that the others called his name. He didn’t stop until he reached one of the bathrooms, seeking refuge inside.

Doubling over against the sink, Lovino splashed water on his face, pressing his palms against his eyes until he saw spots.  _ There’s no way that this can be happening… I haven’t seen or heard from him in years, and he suddenly just shows up at my school. That doesn’t just happen. Good things don’t just happen to me like that. I have to still be asleep or daydreaming or hallucinating or...something! That’s the only logical explanation that-- _

The bathroom door creaked open behind him. “...Lovino? Are you...okay? You just ran off, and you looked like you were about to puke, and I just-- Did I...do something wrong?”

The hurt and concern in Matthew’s voice made his breath catch in his throat as he turned the water off, bracing his hands against the sink. He hated the way that his hands trembled, how his knees felt weak, that he couldn’t make the anxious knot in his stomach go away. He hated how his voice ended up breaking when he spoke. “...Are you real?”

He heard Matthew’s footsteps come closer until they stopped right next to him. “Of course I’m real… Why would you think that I wouldn’t be?”

“I’ve just--” Lovino bit his lip, scrunching his eyes closed and shaking his head. “I just need to know if I’ve completely lost my fucking sanity yet or not. I don’t think that I can take anymore of imagining that you’re there and  _ seeing _ you there, only for reality to dropkick me in the dick again and again until I wish that I’m--”

“Don’t. I know what you’re about to say. Don’t ever wish for something like that. Okay?” Matthew murmured, and Lovino heard the sound of rustling fabric before a very warm, very  _ real _ hand pressed against his face, making his gaze shoot up to the worried expression in front of him.

Biting his lip, he wrapped his arms around Matthew, burying his face into the blonde’s chest and nearly melted into Matthew’s arms when he cradled Lovino against him. Matthew’s heartbeat, his scent, the feeling of his muscles firm and warm against him. Relief flooded his voice. “You better not fucking disappear on me again. You got it?”

Matthew pressed a lingering kiss to Lovino’s forehead. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to be going anywhere. I promise.”


	7. Chapter 7

He couldn't keep his eyes off of Matthew. All throughout their classes together, Lovino just kept finding his gaze being drawn back to the blonde. Part of him was still worried that if he took his eyes off of him, Matthew would just vanish into thin air. The other part simply couldn't stop admiring him.

_ "You've changed," he murmured when they were still in the bathroom. _

_ Matthew had paused for a moment. "No, not really... Not ever..." A shy smile slid onto his face. "I may have grown, but I've never stopped loving you. Not for a single second," he whispered, pulling a necklace out from the neckline of his shirt. _

_ It made Lovino's heart race. The golden chain had been replaced by a leather cord, but the locket was still the same as he remembered it. "You… You still have it?" _

_ "Of course I do," Matthew said with a laugh, reaching out and tucking a strand of Lovino's hair behind his ear. "How could I not?" _

_ He hadn't known what to say. He needed time to process everything. To believe that it was all really happening. To-- _

"--ino? Lovino?"

He flinched away from the hand that waved in front of his face, scowling up at Antonio. "What do you want?"

"Class is over. I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch together," Antonio asked.

Lovino stared at him for a moment before glancing over at Matthew who was still gathering up his own things and talking to Alfred. "No. I'm busy," he mumbled, quickly shoving his things into his backpack and hurrying over to Matthew's desk. "You." He slammed his hands down on the top of the desk, staring up at Matthew.

The blonde bit his lip, fighting to hide the smile that was trying to spread across his face. It made the heat instantly rush to Lovino's face. "Me?"

Taking a deep breath, he nodded, trying to keep the stutter out of his voice. "Yes, you. You still owe me a coffee for the one that you spilled this morning." He felt the warmth of a hand on his own as Matthew leaned on the desk.

"How about I buy you lunch instead?" Matthew asked, and despite the teasing smile on his face, Lovino could see the sincerity in his eyes.

"Y-Yeah. I mean, yes. Yes, that'll work. That would be--"

"But Mattieeeeeee," Alfred whined, clinging off of one of Matthew's arms, "I thought you said that  _ we _ would get to have lunch together today since it's your first day here? I have to introduce you to everybody!"

"Alfred, I'm more than capable of introducing myself…" Matthew grimaced, attempting to peel his cousin off of his arm, but when it proved to be futile, he turned a pleading gaze to Lovino.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fine, fine. We can all eat together this time. But you'll still owe me."

"It'll be a date," Matthew promised, slipping his hand into Lovino's.

_ A date…  _ Lovino felt his heart skip a beat, paying no attention to anything other than the warmth of Matthew's hand in his as they were herded outside to one of the picnic tables. Of course Lovino immediately began to regret agreeing to join Alfred when he heard his brother's hyperactive voice join them, asking an entire slew of questions, along with everybody else. Especially when it looked like Matthew was being completely overwhelmed.

Growling softly, Lovino slammed his hands on the table, causing almost everyone to jump. "Could all of you shut the  _ fuck _ up and stop being so damn nosy about my boyfriend on his first day, for  _ fuck's sake _ ?" he yelled, awkward silence ensuing. He couldn't help but notice the way that Matthew hid a smile behind his water bottle.

Eventually, Alfred cleared his throat. "Sooooo, Mattie, how d'you like your surprise?"

"Surprise?" Matthew raised an eyebrow, sharing a confused look with Lovino who just shrugged. "What surprise?"

"Uh… Lovino's the surprise, duh," Alfred said, rolling his eyes. "You're pretty lucky that you ended up moving here when you did too, since Antonio was planning on asking Lovino to go to the homecoming dance together, and  _ that _ would've just ended up boiling over into a giant mess that even the best damage control couldn't fix. So I guess that--"

"Alfred, shut up for a minute," Matthew said, steepling his fingers together and inhaling slowly. "You... _ knew _ … How long...? How long have you known for?"

"Huh?” Alfred blinked, shrugging. “About Antonio's crush? Only about a--”

“I don’t care about the crush. People get crushes all the time. That doesn’t matter to me,” Matthew stated slowly, his eyes narrowing with each enunciated word. Lovino could see the tension in his shoulders and hands as the blonde restrained himself from curling his hands into fists. “I want to know how long you’ve known that you’ve been going to the same school as Lovino. Was it a year? Two years? Longer? Before my mother had gotten sick?”

Alfred shifted uncomfortably in his seat, tugging at his shirt collar. “I don’t know? Since I was, like, ten?”

There was another moment of brief silence as Matthew leaned forward intently, his voice sounding far too calm. “So you’ve known for...let’s say, roughly six years that you go to the same school as him. You’ve known how I’ve felt about Lovino, about our plans and dreams. You’ve known about the  _ hell _ I was having to go through because of what happened to my mother. You knew that I didn’t have anyone else to turn to. You  _ knew _ you had access to the one person that would’ve been able to help me emotionally get through everything easier. And yet…” Matthew pressed his lips together, a very rare rage shining in his eyes even though his voice remained like ice. “And yet, you decided… You  _ consciously _ decided to deny me even that. It’s not  _ luck _ that I’m here, Alfred. I’m only here because my mother is  _ dead _ . Because she died after suffering in agony for nearly four years, and I had to suffer in silence right alongside her, and you didn’t  _ care _ . And the  _ one _ thing that you had in your power to do… You don’t care, and you have  _ never  _ cared. You have something seriously wrong with your head to think it was okay to spring this on me after  _ everything _ that has happened.” Pressing a hand over his mouth, he shook his head, standing up from the table. “Don’t ever talk to me again. I don’t want anything to do with you.”

Alfred opened and closed his mouth, unable to get any words out. “B-But Mattie--”

“ _ No _ , Alfred. I am  _ done _ . I don’t want to be around you. I am going to talk to Aunt Alice about me finding some place else to stay, and then that’s  _ it _ . I absolutely refuse to be around someone that only tells me things whenever it’s convenient for him to use as some sort of leverage.  _ Family _ shouldn’t do that to one another.” Matthew’s voice broke, and Lovino could see the tears beginning to well up in his eyes before Matthew grabbed up his bag and sprinted back towards the school.

“Mattie, wait!”

Pressing his lips together, Lovino rounded on Alfred, jabbing his finger into the blonde’s face. “No, you shut the hell up. You’ve fucked up, and fucked up royally. I have no sympathy for you, because yeah, karma’s a bitch, but it’s a bitch that you deserve, dickwad. So go screw yourself while I try to undo whatever damage that you’ve done.  _ Damage control, my fucking ass! _ ” he yelled, running off in the direction that he had seen Matthew heading.

_ Come on. Where are you, Mattie? Don’t make me have to run around this entire campus… If I were Matthew, where would I-- _

He came to a halt outside the school’s library. “Books. Of course,” Lovino mumbled to himself, slipping inside and checking between the rows of bookshelves until he eventually found Matthew in the corner of the library, sitting on a couch with his face in his hands. Lovino let out a sigh of relief. “There you are,” he murmured, sitting down next to Matthew. “You know, I always thought that I was the one that had the temper,” Lovino teased, placing a hand on Matthew’s back and watching the tension instantly melt away.

“I just...don’t understand… If I could’ve known that you were here… I would’ve been able to actually visit you instead of waiting for the camping trip. Especially with as many times as Maman and I had come to visit my aunt… If I could’ve at least been able to talk to you or see you during that whole ordeal…” Matthew bit his lip, letting his hands fall to his lap as he leaned back on the couch. Taking Lovino’s hand in his, he traced each one of Lovino’s fingers. “Neither of us would’ve ended up going through as much heartache…”

“So your mom’s really…” Lovino chewed on his lip. It explained why Matthew’s eyes were so swollen.  _ From crying… From the grief of losing his mother. _ “...What happened? All I know is that Nonno had ended up saying that she had collapsed and was really sick, and then we never saw either of you again.”

Matthew sniffled, wiping his tears on his sleeve. He took a deep breath, clenching Lovino’s hand as he slowly tried to talk his way through everything. Each word was like a knife in Lovino’s heart though. “Yeah. She had collapsed at her work. The doctors ended up initially thinking that she had an aneurysm, but then once they did more scans and tests, it turned out that it was a tumor in her brain. So they managed to remove that, and she did fine for quite a few months, but then she started to be in a lot of pain. When she went back to the doctors, they did some more tests, and they diagnosed her with ovarian cancer. They started her on chemo, which only seemed to make her more sick as it often can, but eventually they said that the cancer had finally reached remission. It seemed like it stayed gone for probably about nine months, but then it recently came back with a vengeance. It turned terminal, and she withered away right in front of me… She ended up dying in my arms on my birthday… After that, my aunt offered to take me in for the time being so that I have a place to stay, but I’ve also had to deal with so much paperwork and petitioning to be an emancipated minor. It’s been completely exhausting, and now it feels like I’ve been betrayed on top of it all, because my own cousin decided to hide something so important to me. I don’t think I can ever forgive him for it.”

Lovino reached over, wiping some of the tears from Matthew’s face before pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I know that it probably won’t make it any better, but I wish I had known… I wish that I could’ve been there with you and held your hand and kissed you and told you that I would always be there for you… But if it would make things any better, if you really do want to get away from Alfred, then we could end up talking to Nonno about you living with us. We have spare rooms, and I’m sure that he wouldn’t mind. I know he and your mom were friends, and I’m sure that he’d want to help out in any way that he could…”

“Are you asking me to move in with you?” Matthew asked, awe in his voice as he stared at Lovino with wide eyes.

Now that Matthew had said it like that though, Lovino’s face turned crimson. Still, he made the resolve to not lose his nerve as he spoke. “That’s...one way to put it. Yes. I want you to be my boyfriend, and I want you to move in with me. I want to always be able to be there to protect you, no matter if it’s from another person or just your own inner demons. I love you, and I want to always make you happy… If-- If you’ll let me…or if you even want me to, because it's been so long that I'd understand if you don't--”

“Lovi…” Matthew wrapped his arms around him, pressing their foreheads together, and all of Lovino's fears felt as if they just melted away. “Of course I will… I’ve told you before a long time ago. There’s no place else I’d rather be than in our Neverland forever with you…”


	8. Chapter 8

Staring down at their linked hands, Lovino couldn’t help the way that his heart fluttered in his chest. It was distracting in the best way possible. He didn’t even care about the movie that was currently playing on the television.

It was just over a month since Matthew had transferred to his school, and every day he found it more and more surreal that he was able to spend every single day with him. Daily classes, lunches together, walking home, spending the weekends together when Matthew wasn't working at his part-time job… He couldn't even begin to tell how many times that they had fallen asleep on the couch together. It was like heaven to Lovino, because finally there was no time limit to the amount of days that they had to spend with one another. And even if it was still taking a bit of getting used to, Lovino could definitely say that he liked the fact that Matthew was taller than him now, as evidenced by the number of Matthew’s t-shirts and hoodies he periodically hoarded in his room until Matthew found them again.

A quick kiss to his cheek snapped him out of his thoughts, a dark blush rising to his face as he glanced over at Matthew who was smiling that sly smile of his. “What was that for?” Lovino asked.

“I had to. You were doing that cute smile that I love again,” Matthew murmured, leaning in and nuzzling his nose against Lovino’s cheek.

It made Lovino snort, rolling his eyes as he tangled his fingers into Matthew’s hair. “You’re biased. You love everything about me,” he mumbled, shivering slightly as Matthew’s fingers ran up and down his arm. Not for the first time, Lovino found his heart hammering away in his chest as he draped his legs over Matthew’s lap.

"Of course I do," Matthew purred, peppering kisses along his jaw and neck as Lovino pulled him down onto the couch beside him. "You're the most amazing person in the world, and I love you more than anything… That's not bias. That's facts."

"So you've told me before," Lovino teased, slipping his hands beneath Matthew's shirt and running his fingers across the toned muscles there. "I love you too…" He was always still so amazed sometimes about how Matthew had grown up from when they were just kids, how his shoulders had broadened and his muscles had become far more defined.  _ If only Matthew didn't always end up wearing hoodies to hide it… _

"Lovi~ You're spacing out again," Matthew whispered against his ear, making his face turn red.

"It's not my fault that you're so attractive and make me want to kiss you everywhere…" Lovino groaned, puffing out his cheeks and glancing over at the TV. Not that he was even trying to pay attention to the movie at all. He was just embarrassed to bring up anything remotely intimate aloud, despite the number of times he fantasized.  _ Hell, what am I even thinking? We’ve never even...made out. Not that I’m complaining! I mean, he’s still been grieving, after all. But he’d probably think that I’m weird for wanting-- _

“If you want to, then why not do it?”

The question derailed his train of thought. “What?” He twisted around on the couch to look up at Matthew, noticing the faint dusting of a blush on his cheeks. “You mean, you want-- You’re not bothered that I think about--”

“Oh god, you’re adorable.” Matthew bit his lip, holding back a laugh. “Lovi… One, it’s perfectly normal to have those thoughts. I mean, I think about you and us too. A lot. Two, we’re boyfriends. I’d say that it’s pretty common especially among couples to think about intimacy. Three… Have I really been that bad at showing that I’m physically attracted to you?”

Lovino rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a relieved breath. “I don’t...know. You always seem really reserved about anything physical, other than cuddling. So I guess I kind of assumed that you weren’t too interested in anything else…”

“I know that I’ve been a bit...out of sorts lately. Emotionally, physically, mentally… Just feeling completely drained with everything that’s happened over the past couple years. But that doesn’t change my wants or how I feel about you, and you definitely have a...physical effect on me.” Matthew pressed a kiss to the tip of Lovino’s nose. “I’m only so reserved because I try to be respectful that this isn’t my house. I’m just a guest here. And there are other people that are here almost all the time, so the chance of us ending up getting interrupted is pretty damn high.” He stroked Lovino's cheek with a small smile. "I'm sorry that I didn't notice that it was bothering you so much."

“Oh.” It took Lovino a few moments to process what Matthew said, his gaze trailing down to Matthew’s lips. “So… If I want to kiss you…?”

"You don't even have to ask."

Lovino was quick to pull Matthew into a kiss, their lips colliding together awkwardly at first, frantically, until they found their rhythm and both of them melted against one another, arms tangling around each other. Matthew's breath was hot on his face as he gently pushed him onto his back, straddling the blonde's hips.

"Careful," Matthew breathed out, placing a steadying hand on Lovino's waist.

"I'm fine," Lovino mumbled against Matthew's neck, fingers twisting into the fabric of his shirt to reveal his boyfriend's stomach as he traced the contour of every muscle.

"Th-That's not what I meant…" Matthew stuttered out, his eyes slipping closed as he bit his lip. From his neck to the tips of his ears were stained crimson. "I meant, be careful where you sit…"

Lovino froze, his mouth suddenly feeling dry and pride swelling in his chest.  _ So he wasn't kidding when he said that I have a physical effect on him… And he feels this way because of me. I'm the only one that makes him feel this way... _ He leaned forward, pressing kisses up Matthew's chest to his neck. "And what if I don't want to be careful?" he whispered, his teeth grazing against Matthew's ear and causing him to shiver as his grip on Lovino's waist tightened. "Would you be okay with that? Or do you want me to stop?" he asked gently, running his hands up his sides.

A shaky gasp left Matthew as he shook his head, pulling Lovino against his chest. “I want you to keep going,” he mumbled, burying his face against his boyfriend’s shoulder to muffle the moan that soon followed from Lovino pressing his thigh between the blonde’s legs.

“Does that really feel that good--”

Both of them froze in place as the entrance into the adjacent kitchen slammed open, the chattering of Feliciano and several of his friends spilling into the house.

Lovino hissed, quickly grabbing their blanket from the floor as Matthew twisted onto his side. He tossed the blanket over them and snuggled his back against Matthew’s chest. Both of their faces were flushed crimson as they stared at the movie on the screen when the others soon entered the room.

“Ahh~! Mattie! Lovi! What movie are you guys watching? Is it okay if we watch too? Is that  _ Nightmare Before Christmas _ ?” Feliciano asked excitedly, pulling Ludwig with him over to the floor in front of the television and plopping down.

“It is the perfect movie for Halloween time,” Gilbert admitted, rubbing his chin in thought and plopping onto one of the recliners while Francis draped himself across the albino’s lap.

“Yeah, yeah. Just keep the fuck down before I run you all out of here, you bastards,” Lovino grumbled, feeling Matthew’s arms tighten around him. Warm lips pressing kisses to the back of his neck made him shiver and lean closer into Matthew’s warmth.

“See what I mean?” Matthew whispered into his ear. “About not really having the luxury with so many people constantly around?”

Lovino sighed, twisting around just enough to press a kiss to his lips. “Yeah… I get it,” he grumbled, linking his fingers between Matthew’s. That didn't mean that he was happy about it though.

The blonde was silent for a moment before murmuring, his voice teasing, “...If you want, you can watch me work out later? If you really want to see me shirtless so bad.”

Blinking, Lovino glanced up at him, holding that hypnotizing violet gaze for several moments before nodding and giving his hand a squeeze, already imagining placing kisses along Matthew's back and shoulders and chest. “I’d like that...”


	9. Chapter 9

“Ah, this isn’t good,” his grandfather murmured, rubbing his face as Lovino gave another round of coughs.

“Mr. Vargas? What’s wrong?” Matthew asked from the doorway, peeking his head inside of Lovino’s bedroom.

“Lovino’s chilled and coming down with a fever. We were supposed to be leaving for the Christmas trip this morning, but…” His gaze trailed back down to Lovino who shivered and tried to sink even deeper into the bed. “With Lovi getting sick, and it being too late to cancel everything… I’m not sure what to do, since I’m sure you’re going to be busy with your family.”

Matthew stepped into the room, walking over and pressing a hand to Lovino’s forehead, his eyebrows furrowing. Turning back to Romulus, he said, “Actually, I wasn’t planning on going anywhere for the holidays. I was just going to stay here and work on my homework and read. I don’t mind taking care of Lovino and watching over him to make sure he gets better so you can still go on your trip.”

“Are you sure?” Romulus asked, placing a hand on Matthew’s shoulder. “I don’t want it to be a burden for you.”

“Of course not! It’s no trouble at all. I want to make sure that Lovino feels better. If he gets worse, I’ll drive him to the clinic and let you know,” Matthew reassured him.

They continued talking for several more minutes before Feli came in and gave Lovino and Matthew an emotional farewell, Matthew helping carry their luggage to the car. Eventually, Matthew came back to the bedroom and sat at the edge of Lovino’s bed. A small smile was on his face as he brushed some of Lovino’s hair out of his face.

“Hey… Do you want me to make you some soup or get you some water or anything?” he asked gently.

“Well…” Lovino hummed softly, pulling three packs of frozen peas out from under his blanket as he sat up and pressed a kiss to Matthew’s cheek. “You can go put these back in the freezer and then warm me up, because I feel cold as  _ fuck _ .”

Matthew blinked at the bags of frozen vegetables that were plopped into his hands. “You’re not sick.”

“Nope.”

“And it’s just going to be the two of us for the next week…”

“Yep.”

“How…?”

Lovino shrugged, sticking his hands under Matthew’s shirt and watching him inhale sharply from how cold his hands were. “I wanted us to be able to actually spend time together without people bothering us. And I thought…” His cheeks flushed as he glanced away. “I thought that it would be nice to be able to spend a romantic Christmas together. Since it’ll be our first one.”

Matthew stared at him for a few moments before pulling Lovino into a lingering kiss. "You're amazing… But I do want to actually get you warmed up before you get sick for real," he murmured, standing up. "Would it be okay if we took a nap? Not in your bed though, because of how cold it is."

"A nap sounds really nice right about now," Lovino murmured, slipping out of bed and heading to Matthew's bedroom and flopping face first down on the bed.

Matthew chuckled when he entered the bedroom, sitting down on the bed next to Lovino. He tugged at the hem of Lovino's shirt, but it only made him grumble and try to swat at Matthew's hand. "Come on, sleeping beauty. Shirt off. You'll get warmer that way."

Lovino propped himself up on his elbows, raising an eyebrow. "I would think that less clothes means less warm."

Matthew rolled his eyes with a small smile. "Not when it means skin to skin contact," he murmured, and Lovino found that he couldn't look away as Matthew took his shirt off and tossed it into the floor. He slipped under the blankets, holding his arms out to Lovino. "Come here."

Biting his lip, Lovino wiggled his way out of his shirt, discarding it and snuggling up against Matthew's chest. He nearly melted into the warmth with a pleased groan. "Remind me never to lay on ice for so long…"

"I'd say that that's what you get for trying to fake being sick, but I know you had good intentions…" Matthew murmured, threading his fingers through Lovino's hair. It was really soothing.

Lovino hummed softly, his eyelids drooping as he traced designs onto Matthew's skin with his fingertips. They drifted into comfortable silence for a few moments before Lovino spoke up again, his voice hesitant. "Hey, Matt? Can I ask a question?"

"You just did," Matthew mumbled drowsily, snorting softly whenever Lovino gently smacked his shoulder.

"I'm serious…"

"Of course you can. You can ask about anything. Communication is always good," he replied, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

Sighing, Lovino pressed his cheek against Matthew's chest, the familiar feeling of embarrassment flooding through him. "What do you think about...making love?"

"Like, in general? Or about  _ us _ making love?" Matthew asked, wrapping his arms around Lovino.

"Well, both, I guess?" he mumbled before sighing. "I love us being able to be..intimate, and I love kissing you and when we make out and feeling your skin against mine and seeing you without a shirt on… And I like teasing you and the times that I've made you moan... And I do…" he trailed off, biting his lip as he blushed. "I do...fantasize about us… But then if I start thinking about us  _ actually _ ...doing  _ that _ , then I start to get panicky and anxious and my chest feels tight and hard to breathe, and it makes me feel like something's wrong with me…" Lovino sniffled, shoving the tears away that started to roll down his cheeks.

"Lovi, no, there's nothing wrong with you! I think it's normal to feel that way…" Matthew cooed, nuzzling into Lovino's hair. "Honestly, I get that way too. Part of it has to do with the fact that I think we're too young. Yeah, we're teenagers, but we're still kids in the grand scheme of things. We’ve barely even experienced life yet."

"Which is what I don't get!" Lovino exclaimed, turning onto his back and throwing his arms in the air. "It's like everybody at school, even  _ freshmen  _ that act like fetuses that just came straight from their mothers'  _ wombs _ , are all having some sort of race to see who can lose their virginity first or sleep around with the most people! And it's fucking disgusting and trashy, but everyone acts like it's supposed to be normal. Especially that bullshit of guys being expected to be experienced while the girls are expected to be married off as virgins..."

“And how many of those people do you think end up regretting it, eh? Either because it ended up not being with the right person, or they end up getting pressured into it because of the social trend, or someone ends up getting pregnant,” Matthew responded gently, smoothing Lovino’s hair out of his face. “And if it makes you feel any better… Even at the risk of me sounding cliche and old-fashioned... I’ve always imagined our first time together being on our wedding night…”

Lovino blinked, a shy smile spreading across his lips as he buried his face against Matthew’s chest. “Our wedding night, huh? I think I’d like that a lot...”


	10. Chapter 10

“It’s official. I hate finals,” Lovino groaned, pressing his face against the dinner table.

“I’m sure it wasn’t  _ that _ bad, fratello! You’re really, really smart, and I know you studied really hard for them!” Feliciano exclaimed, clasping his hands together as Matthew plopped down next to Lovino. “Mattie! The finals weren’t really that bad, were they?”

Matthew grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, they were. It felt like we didn’t even learn half of the stuff that was on the tests… In every single class…” He slid his hand into Lovino’s, lacing their fingers together. “At the very least, they’re over now, and it’s almost summer. That’s probably the only good thing about finals. It means that another school year is over.”

“Yeah, but then next year is our senior year, and we’ll have to deal with the fucking overload of work from that, and then trying to find colleges and jobs and dealing with laws and politics and shitty bosses…” Lovino growled, leaning against Matthew who merely chuckled and wrapped his arms around the grumpy brunette.

“Lovi, we have to deal with laws and jobs and shitty teachers. I see no difference,” Matthew teased, ruffling up Lovino’s hair. Eventually, he sighed. “I do agree with the college thing though, and trying to decide on a major and a  _ career _ … I don’t know. It’s pretty intimidating. I don’t think I’m good enough at anything to justify making it into a career.”

“B-B-But you’re both so good at everything!” Feli sighed, slumping in his chair before letting out a scream as the kitchen door slammed open.

“Hey! Who wants pizza?” Gilbert exclaimed, slamming a stack of three pizza boxes onto the table.

“Not if you fucking destroy them, you absolute  _ monster _ !” Lovino yelled, though he quieted down once Matthew pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Meh. They’ll be  _ fine _ . Take a chill pill. Sheesh!” Gilbert rolled his eyes. “Franny, back me up on this.”

Francis scrunched up his nose, shaking his head as he placed the liters of soda on the table. “By all means, I would rather not eat smashed pizza.”

Gilbert deadpanned, scoffing as he passed out plates. “Wow. Some boyfriend you are. And here I thought you were supposed to be the supportive and caring one.”

“I do care,” Francis argued, pressing his hand to his chest. “I care about the state of the food that I’m going to be consuming. My body is a  _ temple _ and I refuse to have it tarnished!”

Feliciano gasped, his expression lighting up. “Congratulations! You’re finally together! It took you two long enough...with as many googly eyes as you kept making at each other…”

Lovino squinted at his younger brother. “You mean...goo-goo eyes?”

“Ah! So that’s the word for it. Grazie, fratello!” Feliciano sang out.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just shut up already. My head is killing me,” he mumbled, closing his eyes and leaning his head against Matthew’s shoulder.

“Would you rather eat outside so that it’s quieter?” Matthew asked, pressing a kiss to the top of his head as the others started talking amongst themselves.

Lovino shrugged, piling slices of pizza onto both his and Matthew’s plates. “Actually, I wouldn’t mind just snuggling and watching a movie while we eat. It’ll help drown  _ them  _ out,” he said, nodding his head at the others.

“Okay,” Matthew murmured, picking up their plates and slipping away from the kitchen to their bedroom with Lovino following right behind him.

Locking the door behind him, Lovino collapsed on the bed with a sigh of relief as he sank into the mattress. “I just want to sleep forever. I don’t want to have to go to school anymore…”

Setting the plates on the table next to the bed, Matthew hummed softly in agreement as he sat next to Lovino “Honestly, I’m just hoping that we didn’t end up failing those exams…” he murmured, running a hand through the other’s hair before leaning down and pressing a short-lived kiss to his lips.

Lovino pouted whenever Matthew pulled away, reaching out his hands for him to come closer.

Matthew only chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to his nose. “More kisses after we eat.”

“But then the kisses will taste like pizza,” Lovino grumbled with a blush, which only made a smirk spread across Matthew’s lips.

“Oh?” he asked softly, tilting Lovino’s chin up as he crawled on top of the brunette. “And what kind of kisses are you referring to, my love?”

“Stop being such a tease,” Lovino mumbled, pulling Matthew into a deep kiss that was enthusiastically returned without complaint. He could feel Matthew’s smile against his lips. Despite all of the stress from school, he loved that he was able to relax around his boyfriend, and that there would always be that soft spot that made him melt whenever Matthew was around. “I wish that summer would get here already and never end…” he murmured when they eventually pulled away from the kiss, Matthew laying down next to him and passing him his plate of pizza.

“Why? Do you have any special plans?” Matthew teased, turning on the television and letting Lovino lean back against his chest.

Taking a bite of the pizza, Lovino shrugged, stretching his legs out. “Well… Actually, I was thinking that we could...go camping? There’s a campsite not that far from here. I figured it would be nice to get away from the house for awhile, plus we’d be able to go swimming.”

“And maybe we’ll be able to find Neverland.” Matthew sighed wistfully, making Lovino chuckle and pat his thigh.

“Yeah, maybe. Or we could just run away so that we don’t have to go to fucking school anymore,” Lovino grumbled, and although he wasn’t being serious about it, part of him did want to consider it. Just so that he wouldn’t have to deal with bullshit finals or trying to find a college. “Hell, what if we ran away and joined a circus?”

“Lovi, I love you, but no,” Matthew chuckled, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “One, I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works these days, since I’m sure the performers have to go through a lot of training. And two, what would you even  _ do _ in the circus?”

Shrugging, he took another bite of pizza. “Sell peanuts?”

That just made Matthew laugh. “I can’t see you selling  _ anything _ with as much as you don’t like being around people.”

“I know. I just wanted to make you laugh.” It always made him smile to be able to hear Matthew’s laugh. Letting out a contented sigh, Lovino shrugged again, resting his head back on Matthew’s shoulder. “I’ve just been trying to think of what I can actually do and what I like doing, so that I can have some damn idea of what to try to look for in a college. I’ve thought about cooking...and music...and art because I like all of those, but…” His shoulders drooped as his smile fell, putting his pizza back on its plate.

“I’m not good at any of them. Feli always ends up being better than me at any of those, especially in those elective classes that we took this past year. How am I even going to make it into college if my younger brother is better than I am? How could I ever end up getting accepted when there’ll end up being that many other applicants that are just as good as Feli or better? Someone like me doesn’t stand a chance.” Lovino turned to look up at Matthew, tears bubbling up in the corners of his eyes. “And then there’s you… You’re amazing at everything, and you’re so smart that you probably wouldn’t have any problems with getting into any college that you choose. And then that would leave us being separated again for all of those years of college when we’ve only just barely been able to be together…”

Matthew bit his lip, wrapping his arms around Lovino. “Don’t say that. I’ve seen your work, and you know how many times that you’ve cooked for me and I’ve always loved your food. You’re amazing! Just because your brother is younger than you, it doesn’t invalidate all of  _ your _ skills and how good that you are at something. And besides, no one ever starts out being the absolute best at something. Whether it’s art or cooking or writing or acting… It doesn’t matter. It all takes practice and time and dedication. I mean, if you keep working at it, then you’ll be even better ten years from now than you are right now.”

He pressed a kiss to Lovino’s cheek, wiping the tears away. “That’s just how life works. That’s why we grow… And as for me going to college…” Matthew trailed off, chewing on his lip with a shrug and a sheepish smile. “Honestly, I’m not even sure if I want to go. At least, not right after highschool. I don’t have any idea of what I want to do yet, and with as much stress that I’ve had to deal with these past few years ever since Maman had gotten sick…” He flinched slightly, holding Lovino closer to him. “It would be nice to not have to deal with another four or more years of school again so soon. But we’ll see,” Matthew murmured, “and if nothing else, I can help you apply for college and then I could get a job in the same city as your college so that we’d be able to be around each other.”

Lovino stared up at Matthew for several moments before sighing, resting his hand on Matthew’s cheek. “You know, I don’t know how I managed to get so lucky... You’d really go through all of that, just so that we’d be able to keep being together like this?”

“Of course I would!” Matthew smiled at Lovino, leaning in and capturing his lips in a slow kiss, and not for the first time, it made Lovino’s heart dance in his chest. “I was already willing to run away with you to Neverland when we first met. That hasn’t changed.”


	11. Chapter 11

“How’s the college hunt coming along?”

“It fucking sucks… I’m about to gouge my eyes out,” Lovino grumbled, clicking through page after page of college listings. He had been staring at the laptop screen for hours, and it didn’t feel like he had made any progress. In all honesty, over the past several months, he  _ still _ hadn’t even been able to narrow down which major he wanted to pursue, and he was starting to feel the pressure of at least picking  _ something. _

Matthew passed Lovino a cup of coffee, which he took gratefully with a sigh. “Well, what have you been leaning towards?” he asked, looking over Lovino’s shoulder at the list of colleges that he had up.

“I...went with your advice and started looking more into the culinary stuff,” Lovino mumbled against the rim of the coffee cup, “but now the problem’s starting to be the fact that there’s all of these different fucking branches of it. Culinary arts. Pastry arts. Food and restaurant management. Food safety, like if you want to be a health inspector. Possibly becoming a food critic.”

“Well…” Matthew hummed, pressing a kiss to the top of Lovino’s head. “Would you rather be the one cooking the food? Or would you rather have to manage people and finances?”

“Cooking food,” Lovino replied instantly. He blinked in surprise, staring at the screen at how easily his answer came. Sometimes he felt like Matthew would end up making a really good counselor or psychologist, but every time that he brought it up to him, Matthew would always say that it wasn’t something that he would be interested in, no matter how good he might end up being at it. Shaking his head, he ran a hand through his hair, quickly finishing off his coffee. “But then that’s where I don’t know if I would rather go into the culinary arts or the pastry arts…”

“Then why not do both?” Matthew asked, pointing at the screen. “It says that they’re both only two year courses. So you could always end up picking the one that you’re more interested in, and if you end up not liking it as much whenever you do the actual course, then you can follow up with the other one. And at least that way you’ll also end up having experience in both for when you apply for a job somewhere.”

At the mention of applying for a job, Lovino scrunched up his nose, leaning back against Matthew with a groan. “Have mercy. I haven’t even finished trying to apply for college. I don’t want to think about applying for jobs yet…”

It just made Matthew chuckle. “You’ll live. Let’s just write down the colleges that are your top choices, and then we’ll go from there, okay?”

Lovino set the laptop aside on the nightstand, crawling onto Matthew’s lap. “Kisses first. Work later…” he mumbled, cradling Matthew’s face in his hands.

Matthew only laughed as they fell back onto the bed with their arms wrapped around each other.

It wasn’t until several months later of agonizing suspense that the acceptance letters had arrived in the mail.

“I feel like I’m going to puke,” Lovino mumbled under his breath as he stared at the unopened letters on the bed. His hands were shaking as Matthew leaned over and pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “What if I didn’t get accepted to any of the schools?”

“Lovi, I’m sure that you did better than you could even imagine. I believe in you,” Matthew murmured, giving him a reassuring smile. “Just like Wendy believes in Peter Pan.”

He couldn’t help it. The analogy made him snort, shaking his head and running his hand through his hair. “And you’ve always been my Wendy…” Sighing, Lovino picked up the first envelope.

“Which one is that for?” Matthew asked, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and looking down at the envelope.

“It’s the one that we looked at that was our first choice. Pretty much the best culinary school in the country…” Lovino mumbled, his hands shaking as he tore open the envelope. Biting his lip, he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. His stomach was in knots and he wished that he didn’t end up feeling so nervous. No matter how many times that Matthew had tried to repeatedly reassure him though, it always felt like he was going to end up failing or not being good enough.

Unfolding the letter, Lovino slowly peeked open an eye, skimming through the words. That was when he had to do a double-take though, reading through everything slower because it almost didn’t feel real. Surely he hadn’t been able to do  _ that _ well on his application to get in?

“Congratulations! You’ve been accepted!”

Matthew’s smile made him melt into his arms with a laugh of relief. It felt as if the weight of the world had finally fallen away from his shoulders and he could breathe again. “I can’t believe something’s actually going right for a change… I didn’t think that I’d actually get in.”

“See? What did I tell you about believing in yourself? You’re amazing,” Matthew murmured, grinning whenever Lovino began peppering kisses to his neck and face. “And now we can start making plans on finding our own apartment near the school.”

The comment made Lovino pause, looking up at Matthew with wide eyes. “An apartment? For just the two of us?” He raised an eyebrow, a smirk pulling at his lips. “Are you asking me to move in with you?”

Matthew tilted his head to the side, the sheepish smile on his face soon accompanied by a blush. “Lovi, we’ve  _ been _ living together for a year and a half now.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But yes. I figured it would be better than you having to live in the campus dorms and me having to have an apartment anyways when I move there. Plus, that way we’d be able to have privacy, unlike here, and we’d be able to start living our life the way that we want to.” Matthew’s smile began to waver slightly. “I mean, unless you don’t want--”

“Of course I want to!” Lovino exclaimed, pulling his boyfriend into a kiss. “I’d be a fucking idiot to  _ not _ want to. Especially after everything we’ve been through together.”

Matthew’s smile brightened as he wrapped his arms around Lovino. “Good. I’ll start looking into jobs too once we find a good apartment. Oh! And did you end up seeing the prom flyers?”

“No. I haven’t really been paying attention. Why?”

He just shook his head, smiling as he reached over to grab up his backpack that was next to the night table. Matthew rustled around inside of it until he pulled out a piece of rolled up paper, handing it over to Lovino with a smile. “Here. Take a look. Antonio had asked me to help design it, since he and Arthur are the ones heading up the prom committee this year.”

Now that came as a surprise. Lovino knew that things had ended up being tense around Antonio for a while, ever since Alfred had let the cat out of the bag about Antonio’s crush the day that Matthew had arrived at the school, and Lovino had been the one to proclaim that he and Matthew were dating. He knew that things had eventually become less tense over time, and Matthew and Antonio had developed a tentative friendship. It mostly helped that Antonio’s crush on Lovino had lessened over time until he entered into a relationship with Arthur. Lovino still couldn’t understand how it happened, but he was happy for him.

Unfurling the paper, Lovino felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at the beautiful sweeping lines of the landscape and vibrant colors that decorated the page. The theme of the prom was written out in curling golden letters. “A Night in Neverland…” he whispered, his fingers gingerly stroking the page. “Mattie, it’s gorgeous. And if this is your way of asking me to prom, my answer is yes.”

Matthew’s smile only grew as Lovino tossed the paper to the side and nearly tackled him to the bed, pulling the blonde into a deep kiss until they were both left breathless. “Actually… I’d had a more elaborate plan to be able to ask you to prom, but I guess this works too,” Matthew teased between breaths, pulling Lovino into another kiss.


	12. Chapter 12

“Fratello, don’t be so nervous. I’m sure everything will be fine,” Feliciano tried to reassure him, but Lovino just shook his head, pacing in the kitchen.

“I just don’t know why it’s taking so long,” Lovino mumbled, resisting the urge to chew on his thumbnail. “What if he ended up getting stuck trying to get his suit on?” After all, his own suit had ended up being a pain and a half to manage to get on. He did love the dark green color of the vest though and Matthew’s compliments of how well it went with his eyes. “Or…” He stopped pacing, rubbing his chin. “Actually, I don’t know what else it could even be…”

“Well, Francis is trying to help him with his hair, so I think that’s probably what’s taking the most time,” Gilbert reasoned from where he was leaning against the kitchen counter, staring up at the ceiling and trying to count the dots there.

That was news to Lovino. “Francis is doing what now?”

“Calm your horses,” Francis said, nonchalantly waving a hand at Lovino as he strode over to his boyfriend and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “It just took forever to get the hair extensions in. Everything else he did himself. I’d like to say that I’m quite proud though.” Clearing his throat, Francis gestured to the hallway behind Lovino. “Your Wendy awaits.”

Lovino raised an eyebrow, biting back any retorts as he slowly turned around, his face feeling at least ten degrees warmer. “Matthew…?” He almost couldn’t believe his eyes, even with his boyfriend standing right in front of him. He could see now what Francis had meant about the hair extensions.

Matthew’s hair brushed against his shoulders in thick golden curls, part of them being tied back with a blue ribbon that matched the blue of the flowing dress that he wore. It made him look like Wendy; a more adult Wendy, but it was still Lovino’s Wendy. Now at least the green for Lovino’s suit made more sense, since it seemed as though he would be reprising his role as Peter Pan, just like when they were children.

Feliciano was the first to break the awed silence. “Ve~! Mattie! You look so pretty!”

“You wore a dress,” Lovino breathed out, hands trembling slightly as he wrapped his arms around Matthew.

“Yeah, I did. Do you like it?”

“You’re beautiful… I thought you were going to be wearing that blue suit that you saw though?”

Matthew’s smile widened as Francis handed Lovino with the corsage in it. “I was, until I ended up seeing this. I thought that it would go better.”

There was a pause as Lovino pulled him into a kiss after sliding the corsage onto Matthew's wrist. “Do we  _ have  _ to go to the prom?” he mumbled under his breath. All he wanted to do was lay in bed with Matthew and run his hands under the dress across his thighs as they kissed. Lovino sighed as he shook his head, not waiting for an answer. “Let’s go get this over with, but if anyone tries to flirt with you, I’m fucking breaking their nose,” he mumbled, holding his elbow out for Matthew to hold onto.

“You know that would get you kicked out of the dance, right?” Gilbert asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lovino didn’t bother trying to explain that was the point in the first place. At the same time though, Matthew had gone through so much trouble to try to surprise him with their outfits that it would end up being a waste to just be kicked out. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Let’s just get going.”

The entire night, Lovino couldn’t take his eyes off of Matthew. The decorations in the ballroom were beautiful and definitely felt like they captured the essence of Neverland, but for Lovino, Matthew was the most beautiful part of the room. And even despite Lovino’s prior complaints about staying at the dance, when he and Matthew were on the dance floor, twirling and spinning together as one and stealing kisses throughout the night, Lovino could definitely say that it was one of the best nights of his life.


	13. Chapter 13

“Graduation. We finally did it!”

Gilbert and Antonio let out a few whoops of laughter, high-fiving each other as their friend group all gathered around. Lovino rolled his eyes, snorting softly as the two started rough-housing and attempting to tackle each other to the ground. They were definitely going to end up getting grass stains in their graduation gowns if they kept that up.

“We may have graduated, but they still act like children,” Arthur muttered, shaking his head. Despite his reprimand though, Lovino could still see the faintest smile on his lips as Arthur watched Antonio. “It was still nice of your grandfather to throw this party at your house for everyone though.”

“You know, I never did understand how you two managed to get together,” Lovino commented, flicking a piece of lint off of his sleeve and doing a quick glance around to see if he could find Matthew. The blonde had needed to go off to the bathroom, but that had been nearly ten minutes ago and his absence was starting to worry Lovino.

“Oh, well… We had both ended up on the soccer team together, and things just kind of took off from there,” Arthur explained, picking up one of the sodas from the table and giving a shrug. “I honestly thought that he was a complete prick the first time that we met, but he’s the best on our team. Even better than I was. And I eventually grew to respect him for it...after I stopped resenting him for taking over my role as team captain.” He let out a small chuckle, running a hand through his hair. “I know that probably sounds silly.”

Lovino tilted his head slightly before shrugging. “No. It’s not silly. I think he needed someone like you. He really is a good guy. Even though he always used to fucking annoy the crapola out of me.” He glanced down at his watch before quickly looking around again. “You haven’t seen Matthew around, by chance, have you?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. “No, I haven’t. Not since he’d wandered off to the bathroom. He’s seemed like he’s been acting a bit weird though when I saw him earlier…”

Lovino bit his lip, thinking back. What Arthur was saying was true. He’d noticed himself that Matthew seemed a little bit more distant and nervous than usual, but in all honesty, Lovino had chalked it up to the nerves of having given a speech at their graduation. He already knew how much that Matthew didn’t like public speaking, and having to give a speech in front of hundreds of strangers and semi-strangers wasn’t the easiest task. “...I’m going to go look for him. I want to make sure that nothing’s wrong,” he murmured, starting to step away before Arthur’s hand on his elbow stopped him.

“I don’t think that you’ll have to. He’s up there,” Arthur stated, pointing to where Matthew was stepping onto the small stage that had been erected for the music equipment.

Matthew had changed out of his graduation gown and was now in just his slacks and dress shirt, the top button undone and his tie loose around his neck. A wine glass was in his hand. “Surely he hasn’t been drinking.” Lovino’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. “What’s he doing?” he mumbled, drifting closer to the stage as Matthew cleared his throat.

“Excuse me? Can I have everyone’s attention please?” Matthew called out, tugging at the collar of his shirt with a finger. His face was flushed, and it made Lovino at least ninety percent sure that the drink in Matthew’s glass was alcoholic. “Dinner is going to be ready to serve soon, so anyone that’s hungry can start making their way into the house to make their plates and bring their drinks and food outside. After that, we’ll have some music put on, courtesy of our DJ, and enjoy the rest of the night!” His proclamation was followed by a chorus of cheers from their fellow classmates. Matthew’s gaze slid down to where Lovino was standing in front of the stage, a shy smile tugging at the corner of Matthew’s lips. Taking a deep breath, he swallowed the rest of his drink before placing the glass down and continuing, “There’s, uh...one more announcement that I’d like to make tonight though, before we continue with the celebration.”

Lovino raised an eyebrow as Matthew hopped off the stage to stand in front of him. There were too many questions going through his mind. Where had he wandered off to earlier? What took him so long? But looking up into Matthew’s eyes, he found himself unable to get any of them out of his mouth as Matthew began to speak, his hands warm and comforting against Lovino’s.

“When I was little, I believed that Neverland existed. That it was this magical place that you could find and go to where you’d never have to grow up. Where you’d be able to never have responsibilities and that you could stay a kid forever. That’s what every kid wants, after all, but…” he trailed off, chewing on his lip as he rubbed his thumbs against the backs of Lovino’s hands. “But life isn’t like that. Life isn’t stagnant. Life is about growth. And it’s about change. It’s about learning to be a better person than you were the day before. And even knowing that, I still believe that Neverland exists. Why?” A smile stretched across Matthew’s lips. “Because I’ve learned that it’s not a physical place. Neverland is found in the joy of being surrounded by the people that you love and by doing the things that make you happy. For when you are truly happy with your life, then your heart will always feel young. And it will be in that moment that you'll know that you've found your Neverland." Matthew paused, his smile softening as he cupped Lovino's face with one of his hands. It made the brunette blush. "Just as I have found mine…" Matthew pulled his hand away with a small cough, clearing his throat.

Honestly, Lovino had no idea what had prompted Matthew to say all of this. After all, he had never been one for big fancy speeches, as evidenced by his anxiety involving even the graduation speech. So for Matthew to go out of his way to do something that was outside of his comfort zone… It had to be important. Either that, or he was intoxicated, which Lovino guessed was just as likely depending on what had been in the wine glass.

Taking a steadying breath, Matthew continued, one hand touching the locket that he still wore, as if it helped to still his nerves. "Lovi… During the years that we've known each other, we haven't had the easiest time, whether from the distance throughout our childhood or the extenuating circumstances that kept us apart… But I know that even during those times, our hearts always belonged to each other. And now that graduation is over and we're about to head into the next stage of our lives, I wanted to officially make good on the promise that we made to each other a long time ago… So…"

Time seemed to slow down around Lovino as he watched Matthew kneel down on one knee, pulling a small velvet box from his pocket and revealing the pair of rings that were inside. Suddenly, everything made sense. Tears welled up in his eyes as he clapped his hand over his mouth. _ This has to be a dream. There's no way that it can't be... _

"Lovino Vargas… Will you marry me?"

Quickly wiping the tears from his face in a desperate attempt to regain his composure, Lovino nodded, letting out a choked, " _ Yes _ ," as he pulled Matthew into a kiss. Cheers and whistles and hollers of congratulations erupted from the crowd around them as Matthew slid the ring onto Lovino's finger. His own hand shook as he placed the matching ring onto Matthew's before burying his face into his chest.

The amount of joy he felt was overwhelming as it seemed like everybody came up to them and congratulated them on their engagement.

"Alright, you crazy kids. Food's ready!" Romulus called from the house, watching as many of the graduates reluctantly filed inside to fix their plates.

Lovino was thankful though, since it afforded them at least a small amount of privacy. "I can't believe you…" he mumbled, staring at the rings that adorned their fingers. "I thought you were just going to be going to the bathroom?"

Matthew chuckled, pulling Lovino down into the grass beside him. "Well, I  _ did _ , but then I wanted to be able to talk to your grandfather…” A smile spread across his lips when Lovino raised a questioning eyebrow. “To ask for his blessing. I know it’s old-fashioned, but it felt like the right thing to do…especially after everything that he’s done to help me.”

“And how did he react?”

“He said that he knew that it was going to happen sooner or later,” Matthew murmured, glancing over as Arthur hopped up onto the stage and over to the DJ equipment. The melody of a soothing waltz drifted through the air as Matthew pulled Lovino to his feet, wrapping his arms around him as they began to twirl around the yard to the music. “And that there wasn’t anyone else that he’d rather have as part of the family…and that he’d be proud to have me as one of his grandsons...”

Looking up at Matthew, Lovino could see that the rims of his eyes were tinged with red, as if he had been crying.  _ He probably had been… I know that being part of a family means a lot to him, especially with the way his own family had fallen apart so easily… _ Reaching up, he pressed a kiss to Matthew’s cheek, holding him close. “And I’m proud to have you as mine. My fiance and future husband…” A tap on Lovino’s shoulder interrupted his train of thought.

“H-Hey… Is it alright if I cut in?”

Matthew blinked at the voice, staring over Lovino’s shoulder with a mixed look of apprehension and confusion. “...Alfred? What do you want?” His arms tightened protectively around Lovino, cradling him to his chest.

“I--” Alfred rubbed his arm sheepishly as he scuffed the toe of his shoe against the grass. “I wanted to apologize… To both of you, for what I had done. I hadn’t realized that I’d been hurting both of you so much. I was a selfish idiot, Mattie, and seeing you both so happy together made me realize that you’d have had your happily-ever-after a lot sooner if I hadn’t been the idiot standing in the way. I just…” He sighed, rolling his neck from side to side with a pained expression. “I wanted to try to make things right before we all go prancing off to college, because then I’m not sure when I’d ever see you again. And I’d...really like it if I could be there for you at your guys’ wedding.”

“Really?” Matthew asked, sounding a bit skeptical.

“Of course!” Alfred smiled, though his smile was quick to wane after a few moments. “You’re my cousin, and Lovino’s going to be part of the family soon too. And I know our family hasn’t exactly been the closest, but I’d...definitely like to try to fix that. If you’re willing to,” he added quickly.

There was a moment of silence before Matthew glanced down at Lovino. “What do you think, Lovi?”

Lovino raised an eyebrow, sparing a glance over at Alfred before he shrugged. “Family is family, and you only have one life to live. Don’t have any more regrets.”

“Okay.” Matthew sighed, pressing a lingering kiss to Lovino’s forehead and looking back over at Alfred. “I’m not going to make any promises, but we can...try to work something out. Right now, I’d prefer some time together with my fiance though, if you don’t mind.”

“Yeah, yeah! Of course!” Alfred laughed. However, when he placed a hand on Matthew’s shoulder, his smile became a bit more sincere and reserved. “And Mattie? Thanks...for giving me another chance, dude. I’ll try not to let you down,” he murmured before jogging off towards the house with a wave back at the couple.

Despite Matthew's apparent reservations about trusting Alfred, there was a small smile on his face as he watched his hyperactive cousin bound away across the lawn. Lovino nudged him with his elbow, a smirk on his lips. "See? It wasn't so bad after all."

"For all that I was upset by what he'd done," Matthew murmured, rubbing his nose against Lovino's, "I guess all I ever really wanted was for him to have the guts to admit he made a mistake and to give a sincere apology…to have that closure… I mean, I still think he's an ass for what he did, and that's never going to go away but…"

"It'll get better with time," Lovino finished his sentence, causing Matthew to smile and lift him off the ground, spinning them in circles until they were both dizzy and breathless from laughing.

"And we have all the time in the world…"


	14. Chapter 14

"That should be the last box. Finally,” Matthew said, dusting his hands off as he looked around their new apartment. “Of course, now we’re going to have to unpack everything though.”

Lovino groaned, sprawling out on the floor in between the boxes. “Can it wait until later? All of my muscles are burning from carrying everything up that many flights of stairs so many times…” Admittedly though, he had enjoyed being able to stare at Matthew’s butt in front of him during the entire process, so it hadn’t been a complete waste.

And even with their apartment being on the fourth floor of the building, it wasn’t that bad in all honesty. It was only about two blocks away from where Matthew had found a job, and then Lovino’s college was only another block down from there. He wasn’t sure how they had managed to get so lucky, especially with the apartment already being furnished so that they didn’t have to dish out the extra money on furniture.

In fact, he sometimes still didn’t know how he had managed to get so lucky to have Matthew come back into his life after all of the years that they had spent apart when they were younger. How he had gotten lucky that his love was reciprocated after all that time. How they were even closer to fulfilling the dreams that they had as children.

Matthew only laughed as he stepped over to Lovino, straddling his hips and bracing his forearms on the floor on either side of Lovino’s head. “We don’t have to do it right now, silly. We can order some take-out and just relax for the time being. There’ll be plenty of time to unpack everything later...”

Humming softly, Lovino slid his hands under Matthew’s shirt, splaying his hands across the sweat-slicked muscles of his back as he captured Matthew’s lips with his own. “We could order Chinese?” he suggested between kisses, tilting his head as his fiance began trailing kisses down his jaw and neck.

He could feel Matthew’s smile against his skin. “Actually… I was thinking Italian,” he mumbled, gently biting Lovino’s neck and grinding their hips together.

“A-Ah! Is that s-so?” Lovino’s eyelids fluttered closed, his face flushing darkly as his fingers dug into Matthew’s back. His heart was hammering away in his chest, and his body felt all too warm. “M-Matthew…” he mumbled, but the other was already pulling away after placing a peck to his cheek.

“I need to go shower; I’m drenched in sweat from moving everything around. Can you order us something to eat while I do that?” Matthew murmured, Lovino watching in disbelief as he stood up and started towards the bathroom, stripping his shirt off along the way.

_ That fucking tease…  _ Lovino growled softly under his breath, scrambling to his feet and following after Matthew. Grabbing his hand, he kept his eyes on the floor as Matthew paused. “We could...shower together...if you want?” Lovino mumbled out, feeling embarrassed to even be asking.

Yeah, they had  _ technically  _ showered together after their gym classes were finished in high school, but that was far more awkward because of the amount of guys that were using the showers, on top of trying to wash as quickly as possible to get ready for their next class. But now...with it being just the two of them…

Lovino could almost feel the way that Matthew’s eyes stared at him, the blonde letting out a contemplative hum. He squeezed his eyes shut, his face burning and expecting a rejection from Matthew with as long as the silence between them dragged on.  _ Fuck, I feel like an idiot for even asking… _

Before he could speak up and tell Matthew to forget he even asked, his fiance shifted closer to him, hands suddenly slipping under Lovino’s shirt and lips pressing apologetic kisses to the expanse of his throat. “Only if you’re okay with...cold showers?” came the garbled, hesitant response that was more a question than an answer.

Scrunching his eyebrows together, Lovino trailed his fingers across Matthew’s exposed stomach, feeling him tense beneath his hand as he took in Matthew’s appearance. The flushed tones stretching across his skin, the shaky breaths, the erratic heartbeat, the lowered voice, the  _ arousal _ …

It all clicked together in Lovino’s mind, a shiver running down his spine as he licked his lips when Matthew helped slide his shirt off over his head. “Or we can…” he started slowly, trying to muster far more self-confidence than he currently felt as he met his fiance’s gaze, “...take a hot shower, and I can give you a hand with your problem…” Clearing his throat as Matthew’s face reddened, Lovino added, “I’m your fiance, and I want to take care of you whenever you need it.”

For several agonizing moments, silence stretched between the two until Matthew nodded fervently. All of Lovino’s fears melted away as they stumbled into the bathroom together, the remainder of their clothing becoming a heap on the floor.

The hot water seeping into his skin felt cold in comparison to the heat left in the wake of Matthew’s touch. Heat twisted in him with every touch of kisses and wandering hands and dancing tongues as ecstasy and longing and arousal rolled through the pair like waves until they fell over the edge together, chests heaving from exertion and breathlessness.

As Matthew gently cradled him to his chest, fingers massaging the shampoo through his hair, Lovino hummed in contentment, simply enjoying the sensation when Matthew leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. They both smiled into the kiss.

_ Yes… I think I’ll be able to live happily like this for the rest of my life... _


	15. Chapter 15

The soft chiming of a bell echoed as Lovino stepped inside the cafe, unwrapping his scarf from around his neck and inhaling deeply. The scents of the freshly baked goods and brewed coffee always seemed to help lift his spirits.

Though of course, his main reason for visiting was always to see Matthew.

He was instantly drawn towards the rug where Matthew was seated with several children circled in front of him. Matthew was telling them a story, their eyes wide with rapt fascination as they stared up at him, practically hanging off of every detail.

It was hard  _ not _ to stare with the way that Matthew drew in the audience as he spoke, bringing to life the characters within the story. Even the adults in the cafe seemed to get drawn into the story. It made Lovino just want to pull him to the side and kiss him senseless.

But Lovino knew that it had always been that way. He’s known ever since the first day they had met when Matthew had asked him if he had wanted to read his book together. The day that had been the catalyst that led them to where they were now. A wave of nostalgia rose in his chest as he reminisced on the first time that Matthew had brought the characters of  _ Peter Pan _ to life for him.

“He’s amazing at what he does, isn’t he?”

Lovino turned towards the voice of the elderly woman at the counter, a small smile on his face as he went to lean against the counter across from her. “Hello Madeline. How’s business been doing?”

The woman smiled gently, brushing her silver-streaked hair back over her shoulder. “It’s been well. Your fiance has been a blessing to have here…” She reached over and patted his hand gently. “And you have been as well. Were you wanting to use the kitchen again? We’ve already sold out of the macarons that you made last time.”

Lovino blinked in surprise as he shook his head. He hadn’t expected them to be that big of a hit. “No, I was just coming by to pick up Matthew whenever his shift ends, since my classes are over for the day,” he explained, taking his usual maple-flavored latte that Madeline handed to him with a nod of thanks.

Madeline giggled, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she did so. “Ah, young love… I remember when my wife would always show up at my part-time job in college. This was before we had even started dating, mind you. She would always show up and insist on walking me back to my dorm to make sure that I wouldn’t end up getting harrassed by any men.”

“It was a valid concern!” another woman mumbled, carrying two trays of fresh cookies out from the kitchen.

“Monika, darling,” Madeline murmured, visibly trying not to laugh as she helped her wife restock the cookies. “Valid as it may have been, you were mostly just trying to look for a way to hold my hand since you were too nervous to try to  _ during _ class.”

“Well, I can’t help it that you’re so beautiful,” Monika retorted, her gaze fond despite the sternness in her voice. "I was just trying to protect  _ meine Blume _ from the cruelties of the men trying to deflower an innocent blossom.”

A smirk tugged at Lovino’s lips as he tuned out the couple. While it had taken a while for Lovino to get used to Madeline’s doting and Monika’s strict demeanor, he had grown quite fond of both of the women and listening to their stories of how they had started the joint cafe and bookstore.

Madeline had been easy to get along with from the get-go. She reminded Lovino a lot of Matthew, so it had been easy for him to talk to her. She had been a librarian for many years before eventually her and her wife had decided to start up their own business after they married. Madeline had instantly begun doting on Lovino from the moment that he had stepped foot into the cafe for the first time.

Monika, on the other hand, had scared the absolute shit out of Lovino when he had first met her. Despite her age, she was a tough old soul, tall and intimidating, who had served in the army as a combat medic. Eventually, she and Madeline had married after she retired from the military, and Monika had finally been able to turn her passion for baking into a career. She had eventually taken a liking to Lovino once Matthew introduced them and explained how Lovino was studying at the nearby culinary school.

Above anything else though, Madeline and Monika loved each other.

His gaze once again drifted back over to Matthew. His heart skipped a beat when he caught Matthew’s gaze on him, his fiance sending him a wink without breaking stride in telling the story to the children. Every little thing about Matthew just made him fall in love all over again. Every little flirt and kiss and intimate moment together… It was something that he’d never get tired of.

_ God, I love that man… _

Matthew stood up, having finished the story for the children and dismissed them back to their parents before walking over to where Lovino was standing. “Hey there, handsome,” the blonde murmured, batting his eyelashes at Lovino and making him blush. “Do you come here often?”

Lovino hid his smile behind his cup, pretending to be unfazed by the flirting even though there was nothing more than he’d like to do than jump into Matthew’s arms and shower him with kisses. “Often enough.”

“So when’s the wedding going to be?” Monika asked, drawing the attention of the couple as she stood at the counter with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow.

Matthew wrapped an arm around Lovino’s waist, causing the brunette to blush slightly though he welcomed the opportunity to lean against Matthew’s warmth. “Well, Lovi still has a couple of months left to finish his degree, but other than that, we don’t have any definitive date planned out. We’ve been kind of holding off until then, so that we’re not having to juggle so many things at once.”

“Plus I’m going to have to find a job too…” Lovino mumbled, scrunching up his nose.

Madeline and Monika shared an amused look before Monika spoke up again. “I was under the impression that you’d be working here. You already have people coming in that specifically want your cooking. And that way you two don’t have to be separated…” she murmured, giving her wife’s shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Lovino’s eyes widened with shock. “...You’re...giving me a job? Here?”

“Of course we are, silly,” Madeline said softly, a gentle smile on her face as she leaned into her wife’s arms. “You practically already work here. And you two deserve to be able to stay together. We know that we wish that we’d had the opportunity to…”

Lovino turned to Matthew who seemed just as surprised, though a wide smile was on his face. He couldn’t help himself. He pulled Matthew down into a kiss before burying his face into his fiance’s chest. “Thank you so much. Both of you...” he heard Matthew murmur to the couple. “You don’t know how much this means to us…”

“Don’t worry about it, so long as you invite us to the wedding,” Monika teased, which only made everyone laugh.

Sniffling as he pushed the tears back from his eyes, Lovino smiled. “We wouldn’t have it any other way.”


	16. Chapter 16

“Fratello!”

Lovino blinked, pausing in his nervous pacing to look up at his brother entering the room. “Feli? Holy shit, you’ve grown!” he exclaimed as his younger brother swooped in and squeezed him in a hug.

“Well, it’s been forever since you’ve visited, so yeah, I guess I did!” Feliciano paused, smoothing out his own tuxedo before looking down at Lovino, rubbing his chin in thought. “Are you okay? You look like you’re going to be sick. There’s really no reason why you should be though, because everything has been going perfectly and all of the decorations look like they’ve come straight out of a fairy tale.” His smile widened. “You’re so lucky, fratello!”

Lovino let out a breath, rubbing his face. He’d almost forgotten how talkative his brother could end up being. “It’s fine. I’m fine. It’s just...nerves.” There were so many things that  _ could _ end up going wrong after all. What if he ended up tripping over his feet and falling as he walked down the aisle? What if he got so nervous that he ended up puking all over their white suits?

Feliciano’s gaze turned serious as he placed his hands on Lovino’s shoulders, holding his gaze. “Lovi… Everything is going to be fine. You’re marrying the man of your dreams. Just think about spending every day with him as his husband. Nothing else matters, okay? Besides, Nonno’s going to be walking you down the aisle, so you won’t be alone!”

It felt odd to have his little brother be the one comforting him, when it had always ended up being the reverse for so long, but it was also...nice. “Thanks, Feli… I’m glad that you could make it,” Lovino mumbled, patting his brother’s shoulder.

“Feliciano,” Ludwig called, peeking his head into the room as Romulus entered, “we need to go take our seats. The ceremony’s about to start.”

“I’ll be right there!” Feli turned back to Lovino, giving him one last hug before hurrying off. “You’ll do great, fratello.  _ Ti voglio bene _ !”

Lovino bit his lip, watching his brother scurry out of the room before doubling over with his hands on his knees. “Nonno… I don’t know what to do… I don’t know why I feel so anxious...” he mumbled, feeling his grandfather’s hand gently rubbing his back.

“Believe me when I say that it’ll pass,” Romulus murmured gently, a hint of amusement in his voice. “You may feel anxious now, but that’s all because of the build-up. I was the same way when I married your grandmother… But when you go out there and see Matthew standing there, waiting for you, I can guarantee that everything that you’re feeling will suddenly vanish, and all that you’ll be able to see and think about is the love of your life. There’s nothing to be anxious about. You’re both here because you love each other equally and want to build a life together, and because you’ve been taking the steps needed to get to that point in your lives. You should be proud of yourself. I know your parents would be if they were still here...”

Looking up at his grandfather, Lovino rubbed a hand down his face, trying to ignore the way that his knees shook. The amount of pride and love on his grandfather's face made him want to cry as the older man helped smooth out his tuxedo and adjust his tie. "Grazie, Nonno… For everything."

Romulus patted Lovino's cheek, wiping away the few stray tears that had managed to trickle from the corners of his eyes. “You’ll do fine, my boy,” he murmured, his gaze turning back towards the door as music drifted through the air. He turned back to Lovino, holding out his arm with a fond smile.

Taking a deep breath, he placed a hand on his grandfather’s arm, trying to quell the butterflies that were flittering around in his stomach as they took the first steps out the door. Blinking several times to adjust his eyes to the sudden light, anything that he had been feeling suddenly fell away as his eyes skimmed over the decorations and the people gathered around until he found Matthew. And he’d never want to admit it out loud, but Romulus had been right.

The moment that he saw Matthew standing in front of the altar, flower petals slowly drifting around him on the summer breeze, everything else around Lovino faded away. It took all of his willpower to not simply run down the rest of the length of the wedding aisle and leap into his soon-to-be husband’s arms. And even with as beautiful as all of the decorations were--the thousands of flowers, the glittering lanterns, the subtle shimmer of "pixie dust" down the aisle, the fairy lights and ribbons hanging from the blooming trees--none of it even compared to how Matthew looked.

Matthew was magnificent. His suit couldn’t have fit more perfectly, the blue accents of the vest complimenting his eyes. He had even forgone wearing glasses in favor of contacts, and they made the violet of his irises shimmer brilliantly. And when Matthew smiled at him, Lovino almost forgot how to breathe.

The ceremony breezed by far faster than Lovino had ever anticipated that it would, yet at the same time it had felt as though time had slowed to a crawl and almost stopped altogether. The entire time, his gaze never broke from Matthew's, no matter how flustered he felt or how flushed his cheeks became. The words of their vows rolled off his tongue as easily as breathing, ignoring the way that his hands trembled as they exchanged rings and their final  _ I do _ ’s.

“I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may now kiss the groom.”

Cheers rose from the guests as Lovino pulled Matthew into a passionate shared kiss. Of course, he wished that it could’ve lasted longer than it did, but he knew there would be plenty of time for that later. After all, they had all the time in the world to be together.

“I love you…” Flashing Matthew a shy smile, Lovino gently took his husband’s hand in his, linking their fingers together as they strolled back down the wedding aisle.

“I love you too,” Matthew whispered, leaning down and pressing a kiss to Lovino’s cheek as they followed the trail of fairy lights, flower petals, and gently drifting music around the side of the building to where the reception was being held.

“Everything looks perfect…” Lovino breathed out as Matthew suddenly spun him against him once they reached the courtyard, glittering lights reflecting off of the water of the fountain in the middle.

“May I have this dance?” Matthew asked, pressing their foreheads together as they already began swaying to the music.

“Please…” A smirk pulled at the corner of Lovino’s lips. “I’ll show you what  _ real _ dancing is, honey.”


	17. Chapter 17

Jetlag did not make for a happy Lovino, and as he stumbled off the plane with his legs feeling like sacks of jello, he cursed under his breath.

It had already been an exhausting evening as it was with the wedding ceremony and reception. Adding on top of that, their flight had ended up being delayed, and Lovino ended up being stuck in front of an annoying kid that kept kicking the back of his seat. It had, needless to say, been a  _ very  _ long flight that had greatly tested his patience. Especially now that they were nearly halfway across the globe.

Matthew only chuckled sleepily as he wrapped an arm around Lovino, keeping his husband close to him as they navigated their way to the luggage claim area and car rental pick-up. For a brief moment though, they couldn’t help but to stop and stare at the brilliant sunrise that was rising over Rome.

“I think we picked the perfect spot, eh?” Matthew murmured, burying his nose in the crook of Lovino’s neck for a brief moment.

Lovino snorted, rolling his eyes as he gently rubbed his hand against Matthew’s cheek, the sunlight glinting off of the ring on his finger. “Anywhere with you is the perfect spot,  _ tesoro _ .”

The drive to their hotel was uneventful at least, and when they finally collapsed onto the bed, they let out a shared sigh of relief as they sank into the mattress. The honeymoon suite was amazingly gorgeous and even had an in-room jacuzzi, but at the moment, neither of them cared.

“Sweet, sweet relief… Fucking plane seats are the worst…” Lovino mumbled, which only made Matthew laugh.

“You know we’re going to have to go through all of that again when we fly back in three weeks, right?” he asked, wrapping his arms around his husband and nuzzling into his hair.

Lovino’s nose scrunched up at the thought. “Don’t remind me…” Still, he couldn’t help the feeling of fatigue that washed over him as he kicked off his slacks with a yawn and curled up against Matthew’s chest. “...Honestly, I still just can’t believe the cake that Monika and Madeline made for us…”

“It was beautiful…” Matthew agreed, holding Lovino close to him as he began to doze off, bringing a smile to the brunette’s lips. “But not as beautiful as you...”

He wasn’t sure when he had ended up passing out, but the aroma of food eventually pulled him from his slumber, blearily blinking open his eyes to find that he was alone on the bed.

Glancing around the room, Lovino spotted Matthew standing at the dinner table and trying to light the candles, two silver serving domes and a salad bowl already present on the table. A bottle of wine was in an ice bucket on the floor and the two wine glasses on the table were filled with water. His hair was wet and his shirt clung to every edge of his muscles, defining his physique in a way that his standard hoodies usually tried to hide. A towel was draped over the back of one of the chairs.

Lovino couldn’t help but to stare at the way that Matthew moved, the subtle flexing of his muscles as he fumbled and quietly cursed as he tried to finish lighting the candles. It made Lovino almost not want to ruin the moment, but at the same time, he’d feel guilty if they ended up catching the room on fire. Regardless, he couldn’t keep the amusement out of his voice as he asked, “Need some help with that?”

Matthew blinked, glancing over his shoulder at Lovino. His gaze was intent as it trailed up his body, and it only made Lovino flush faintly when their eyes met. Matthew smiled, setting the lighter to the side of the table. “No, I’ve got it. I’m glad that you’re awake though. I went ahead and ordered us some dinner--room service--if that was okay with you? It’s already past six, so I figured that you’d be hungry.”

“Whatever it is, it smells fucking amazing,” Lovino mumbled, stretching his arms and legs out as he yawned and reluctantly rolled out of bed. He instantly wrapped his arms around Matthew, gravitating into his warmth.

“Lobster ravioli,” Matthew replied simply, threading his fingers through Lovino’s hair for several moments before pulling one of the chairs out for him.

“That  _ sounds _ amazing… Grazie,” Lovino murmured, pressing a quick kiss to Matthew’s cheek before taking his seat.

The food was some of the best that Lovino had ever eaten, and that was saying something considering his grandfather’s previous job as a professional chef, which might’ve been where Lovino had gotten his love of fancy foods. Perhaps it had more to do with the fact that he was sharing the food and the moment with  _ Matthew _ , and there was a sense of joy that simply wasn’t there all the other times prior. Maybe it was because he was able to drape his legs across Matthew’s lap as he ate, and the blonde kept massaging small circles up and down his calf. Maybe it was the view of the sunset over the Roman landscape that only added that extra level of “romantic” to their dinner. Or maybe it was the wine that was doing the talking, even though both of them combined had only ended up drinking half a glass of it.

Regardless of what it was, Lovino didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around Matthew’s neck and pull him into a kiss, their tongues teasing and exploring against each other as his husband carried him over to the bed. Matthew’s weight on top of him was a comfortable warmth, feeling like a shield between him and the rest of the world.

There was no hesitation as their hands danced across each other’s bodies, touching and clinging to each exposed expanse of skin that was revealed as each remaining article of clothing was abandoned in their arousal.

Each desirous gasp and moan sent a sliver of heat coursing through Lovino’s body. Each frenzied breath. Each whispered wish. Each toe-curling thrust. Each rake of his nails down Matthew’s back. Each possessive love-bite that marked each other’s skin. Each movement was the culmination of years’ worth of longing and want and  _ need  _ as the consummation of their passion crested and rolled through them in nearly endless waves of pleasure.

Lovino’s eyes tiredly fluttered open as Matthew gently brushed his sweat-drenched locks out of his face, their limbs still intertwined from their love-making. “You okay there, beautiful?” Matthew murmured softly, his own eyes struggling to stay open as he nuzzled against the top of Lovino’s head.

He couldn’t help but to let out a pleased hum as he pressed a gentle kiss to one of the love-bites on Matthew’s shoulder. “Perfect…” Lovino felt completely sated and satisfied, even as the slight aches in his body began to make themselves known through the haze of euphoria he was in. His body was still tingling, and he felt like he was glowing.  _ I’m...glad that we waited for our first time… I’m glad that it was like this…  _

Matthew hummed happily, trailing his fingers down Lovino's spine and making him shiver. "What did you feel like doing tomorrow?"

"Well, I know what I feel like doing right now…" A smirk tugged at Lovino's lips as he trailed his hands across Matthew's chest, meeting his gaze as his fingers ventured lower across his stomach. "Round two?"

The blonde perked up as he suddenly became much more awake. He nodded with an enthusiasm that Lovino would've found amusing if it weren't for the amount of pure desire in his expression, their lips meeting in a scorching kiss. "Round two…"


	18. Chapter 18

“Okay, how about this flavor?” Lovino asked, holding out a small tasting spoon to Matthew with cake batter on the end for him to try. “Do you think it tastes alright?”

Licking the batter off the spoon, Matthew’s eyes brightened as he nodded. “This is the Limoncello one, right? It tastes just like those drinks that we had on our honeymoon. It’s perfectly balanced. Not too sweet, and not too tart either.”

Lovino let out the breath of relief that he hadn’t realized that he’d been holding. Even after all this time, he kept being worried that his baking and flavor profiles weren’t good enough, but every single time Matthew always reassured him that it was all delicious. “Good. Because I’m going to add a raspberry filling to the cupcakes and then add buttercream frosting on top with a candied lemon wedge. Or do you think I should sprinkle it with lemon zest instead?” He chewed on his lip in thought, indecision eating away at his chest.

“The candied lemon wedge,” Matthew stated, wrapping his arms around Lovino’s waist and pulling him back against his chest.

A sigh fell from his lips as Matthew’s warmth soaked into his back, letting his head rest back against his husband’s shoulder and his eyes slip closed for a brief moment. “Why that?” he asked curiously.

Matthew chuckled, dipping his finger in the cake batter and stealing another taste. “Because it was your first choice,” he said simply, kissing the top of Lovino’s hair while his hands snuck under the brunette’s shirt, massaging circles into the tense muscles of his lower back. “It’s what you instinctively know and think is the better option until you start having self-doubts because you’re worried that you might be wrong with your first instinct.”

Lovino hummed softly, running a hand through his hair and his gaze darting across the kitchen counter at the other trays and bowls.  _ Maybe Matthew has a point…  _

“And yes, I still think you should keep the dark chocolate spiderweb decorations for the pumpkin spice cupcakes,” Matthew teased, his fingers ghosting over the ticklish spots on Lovino’s sides and making him want to squirm away.

Sometimes he had no clue how Matthew seemed to almost be able to read his mind at times, but it was something that he had grown quite fond of over time. Lovino only snorted and rolled his eyes, twisting around and leaning his hip against the counter. “Alright. Then what about going with the angel food cake ones?”

Matthew smiled, bracing his hands on the counter behind Lovino. “The blackberry liqueur and mint garnish, obviously. You said yourself that it was to die for,” he murmured, his voice low as he leaned in and pressed kisses along the brunette’s neck, gently nipping at the skin.

Lovino bit his lip to suppress the groan that rose in his throat, his hands becoming fists in the front of Matthew’s shirt. “You’re distracting…” he grumbled, though it was only a half-hearted complaint at most.

The sound of someone clearing their throat from the kitchen doorway caused them both to flinch, their faces flushing darkly as they glanced over to see Madeline and Monika. Both of the women were trying to conceal their shared expressions of amusement. “I hope we’re not interrupting anything important,” Monika stated firmly, though there was a knowing smile in her eyes, as if she herself had been in such a position in the past.

It was Matthew who responded, and for that, Lovino was thankful, as he had yet to find his voice again. “No, we were just finishing discussing some of the flavors and decorations for the cupcakes that Lovi’s been trying to make. He keeps insisting on trying to go back and make changes, but I keep telling them that they’re perfect the way that he originally created them,” Matthew said matter-of-factly. There was a sense of pride in his voice as he spoke about Lovino’s creations that warmed his heart.

“They’re not  _ that _ good…” Lovino tried to mumble, but it just resulted in Matthew pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.

“There’s never been a time that we’ve known you where your cooking  _ hasn’t  _ been amazing, Lovino,” Madeline added happily, leaning against her wife with a fond smile dancing across her lips. “But we did want to talk to both of you about something serious…”

Matthew and Lovino shared a look of concern as they turned to face the couple. “What’s wrong? One of you isn’t sick, are you?” Matthew asked, his hand resting on Lovino’s shoulder. They had both looked up to the pair for so long and become so attached that it was difficult to think of something bad ever happening to either of the women.

Monika chuckled, shaking her head. “No, no. Nothing like that. We’re just getting old and tired and want to travel while we still can. And you two have been working here diligently for the past couple of years, so there’s no one else that we would rather trust with the shop,” she said simply, holding out the store keys to Matthew.

“So how long are you guys going to be on vacation for exactly?” Lovino asked, crossing his arms over his chest as Matthew pocketed the keys and wrapped his arms around his waist.

The women shared an amused expression before Madeline spoke up. “It’s not going to be a vacation. We’re retiring.”

Lovino’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he glanced up at Matthew who just shrugged.  _ Retiring…? Then what does that mean for our jobs? She said that they trust us with the shop, but does that mean…? _

Monika chuckled, patting them both gently on the shoulder. “We want you two to be able to take over the cafe. You’ve already pretty much been slowly making it into your own, and we’d like to pass the torch onto you. It’s not like we have any children to pass it onto, and you both have become like sons to us.”

“We want the best for both of you,” Madeline added, her hand resting on Lovino’s arm. “Which is why we want you to have the cafe, if you’re willing to take it.”

Lovino looked up at Matthew with surprise, seeing the fond tears welling up in his husband’s eyes.  _ This probably means so much to him… It feels weird to have other people looking out for us after everything that we’ve gone through in our lives. It’s not like either of us have had easy lives to begin with, and it was only made more difficult with the loss of Matthew’s mother… And then I never really had the chance to know my parents at all. All I ever remember is it being Nonno and Feli and me. It feels...nice to have other people care about us on the same level. To think that they would go this far to end up helping two guys that were strangers to them not all that long ago… For them to trust us with their livelihood and the dreams that they had built… Moreover, for them to be so accepting of us... Yes, this is what a home is supposed to feel like… _

“Hey, Mattie?” Lovino asked softly, reaching up and wiping the excess liquid from the corner of his eye when Matthew looked down at him. He felt himself becoming a bit emotional as well. “What do you say?”

Matthew's smile softened, his arms tightening themselves around Lovino's waist. "I told you before that I would go anywhere with you. So as long as you're willing to, I'll be right by your side."

It was just another reminder of why Lovino loved that man so much. Another reminder of how much they've persevered through together. And it was hope for the future they would have together.

"So what are you two going to rename the cafe?" Madeline asked. There was a sparkle in her eyes as she stole a taste of some of the cake batter before Monika snatched the bowl out of her wife's arms with a quiet scolding and put it back on the countertop, which only made Madeline giggle.

Matthew chuckled, turning to Lovino. "What do you think, Lovi? Any ideas?" he asked, pressing a kiss to his forehead and nuzzling into his hair.

Lovino hummed in thought, a few ideas for possible names flashing through his mind before his lips stretched into a smile as one in particular stood out to him. "I can think of a few…"


	19. Chapter 19

“Welcome to Neverland. May I take your order?”

Lovino had never thought that he would get used to saying those words (even though that technically wasn't the full name of it). After all, for so long he had rejected the idea of ever selling anything to people. But now… Now he had something that he could be proud of. Something that he and Matthew had created on their own. Something that they both continued to be proud of.

For the past ten years since they had taken over, they had been working on revamping the cafe into their dream. Their paradise. Their home.

They had redecorated, made a new menu, reorganized the shop, set up a new schedule of activities… They had even moved into the apartment that was nestled right above their cafe once the lease on their previous apartment had ended. It was nice being able to be only steps away from their livelihood, Lovino knowing that he’d be able to head down into the kitchen to surprise Matthew with new recipes or simply cook him breakfast without waking him up.

Even outside of their work and home, they had everything else that they needed practically within arms’ reach, whether it be for groceries or date night entertainment. Matthew had even convinced him to go ice skating at the nearby rink during Christmas one year, and it had since become a tradition of theirs, no matter how many times Lovino complained about the cold.

When they weren’t spending time together or busy with work though, their old friends from high school would occasionally drop by for a visit if they were in town. It was nice to know that they still cared enough after so much time to  _ want _ to seek out their companionship.

It was a cozy, simple lifestyle where they could provide for themselves easily, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Hey, Lovi! Look what we got in the mail today!” Matthew said, walking over to the counter as the customers left with the box of cupcakes and coffee that they had bought. Matthew pressed a kiss to Lovino’s cheek, placing the letters on the counter.

Leaning into Matthew’s arms, he looked down at the mail, noticing that there were several postcards as well. Lovino chuckled as he read the carefully scrawled paragraphs on the back. “At least Monika and Madeline are having a good time visiting Taiwan, Japan, and Thailand. Even if they do keep complaining about wanting grandkids by the next time that they visit us…" He snickered at that before sighing and handing the mail back to Matthew, wiping down the countertop. “I just don’t think that I’d be that good of a dad though.”

Matthew chuckled lightly, leaning his hip against the counter and watching Lovino for a few moments. “You know… I disagree with you. I think you’d be a great dad. I’ve seen the way that you’ve helped take care of some of the children that’ve come in. You just don’t give yourself enough credit,” Matthew murmured, pressing a kiss to Lovino’s cheek and making him blush.

Huffing slightly, Lovino puffed out his cheeks, tossing his rag onto Matthew’s face before crossing his arms. “Regardless of being good with kids or not, that doesn’t mean that we should have the legal responsibility of adopting a child…”

Matthew only sighed in agreement, his gaze drifting over Lovino’s head towards the door. “Yeah. Especially when we have plenty of kids to deal with already… After all, what would Neverland be without its Lost Boys?” he murmured, a melancholic smile tugging at his lips.

That was when Lovino heard the chime of the cafe door opening. Glancing over, Lovino’s gaze softened with a sigh as he took in the familiar sight of the white-haired teen, his shoulders hunched as if he were trying to shrink away from the rest of the world. One hand was gripping the strap of a backpack that was slung across his back, his other hand gripping the hand of a smaller blonde boy.

“Klaus, is everything alright?” Matthew asked, worry evident in his voice as he stepped around the counter and approached the two brothers. “Are you and Lutz alright? It’s getting pretty late…”

Lovino followed Matthew around the counter, absentmindedly picking Lutz up whenever the smaller boy instantly held his arms out for the brunette. This wasn’t the first time that the pair of brothers had ended up seeking refuge at the cafe, and it continued to worry the couple endlessly with each passing encounter.

“I, uh…” Klaus cleared his throat, tugging at his scarf. “Vati was yelling at us again…” he mumbled awkwardly. “He has another woman in the house... I didn’t… I didn’t know where else to go…”

“That piece of shit…” Lovino growled, making Klaus flinch slightly and scuff the toe of his shoe against the floor. He mentally cursed himself for being careless with his words. “No, no. Not you,” he quickly amended, propping Lutz against his hip to be able to free up one of his arms. At least the little guy was so tuckered out that he had pretty much passed out the moment he’d put his head on Lovino’s shoulder. “Sorry, it just pisses me off that your old man would be that stupid and neglectful of you guys…” he mumbled, holding out his hand as an apology. “You two are more than welcome to stay for as long as you need…”

Klaus stared at Lovino’s hand, silently looking over at Matthew who only nodded encouragingly before the teen gently placed his hand in Lovino’s. “...Danke…”

Matthew gently squeezed Lovino’s free shoulder, giving him a small smile. “You go ahead and get their room set up. I’ll finish closing up shop and get some dinner ready. I’m sure that you’re hungry,” he stated, this time directing the comment to Klaus who merely flushed and nodded his head.

He definitely  _ looked _ like he hadn’t eaten much with as thin as he was. It had made both of them worry when Klaus had first come to them, bruised and timid, with his little brother in tow, hesitantly lingering in the cafe when everybody else had left and it was closing time. Now, it seemed like the brothers were seeking asylum from their home life at least once a week.

_ It shouldn't be that way though… Kids should be able to grow up in a loving and accepting home… Hell, I was lucky that Nonno decided to take me and Feli in after our parents died, otherwise we probably would've ended up separated in different foster homes. And then Matthew could've ended up out on the streets after his mother died... _

Lovino sighed as he pushed open the door to the apartment. Klaus immediately perked up as a familiar meowing came closer. It only made Lovino want to laugh as the black cat immediately tried to twine herself around Klaus's ankles. "Looks like Mimi missed you,” he said gently, carrying Lutz to one of the spare bedrooms and gently tucking him in before returning to the living room to find Klaus curled up on the couch with Mimi sprawled across his lap.

“I wish that we could have a cat…” Klaus murmured, fingers gently gliding through the purring cat’s soft fur. “Vati doesn’t like cats though…”

Another sigh fell from Lovino’s lips as he moved to sit on the couch next to Klaus, bracing his forearms on his knees. “Can I ask you a question? With everything that he’s done, why haven’t you called the cops on the old man? I think I know the answer, but I want to hear it from you…”

Klaus shifted uncomfortably under Lovino’s gaze, chewing on his lip and ducking his head as if to try to shrink into himself. “...Because we have no one else…” he finally admitted slowly. “If Vati were to go to jail, Lutz and I would be…” Mimi mewed, pulling Klaus’s hand to her face and gently licking his finger. Klaus let out a shaky breath as he fell silent.

At the very least, it confirmed Lovino’s suspicions. “You’d be separated. With Lutz being so much younger than you, he’d get adopted easily. But because you’re already almost in your mid-teens, most couples wouldn’t adopt someone that old, and by a certain age, you wouldn’t be eligible for foster care either. And even if someone would, then most people wouldn’t be willing or have the expenses to adopt  _ two _ children…”

“R-Right…” Klaus mumbled, blue eyes slipping closed with a despondent sigh as he tugged the hood of his jacket down over his face.

It made his chest feel tight as he watched the young teen withdraw into himself. Obviously he’d ended up hitting a few nerves. He just wished that there was something that he could do to help the brothers...

Standing up, Lovino cleared his throat and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m going to...go see if Mattie needs any help getting dinner ready. Just make yourself at home, alright? And I’ll be right back.”

Glancing up at him for a moment, Klaus nodded, his attention soon returning to Mimi and her demands.

Quickly making his way back downstairs, Lovino leaned his hip against the door frame, watching Matthew cooking up spaghetti in the kitchen. "Do you need help with anything?"

Turning his head towards him, Matthew smiled, making Lovino's heart flutter lightly in his chest. "It's just about done, so if you want to get two serving bowls out for the noodles and sauce to go in…" His smile faded slightly as he wiped his hands off on the towel. "How are they doing?"

Lovino ran a hand down his face tiredly as he walked over to the cabinets and pulled two bowls out, staring at the simmering sauce. It matched his mood perfectly. "Honestly, I just want to report the bastard for putting his kids through all of this… They don't deserve it. And he  _ sure  _ as hell doesn't deserve to be a parent, especially if he's just going to fuck around with random women. There's no telling how many of them he's knocked up… I mean, if he's going to be a fucking deadbeat dad who can't even be responsible for the kids that he  _ has _ then he shouldn't be allowed to have anymore. Someone needs to cut his fucking dick off…"

Pressing a kiss to Lovino's temple, Matthew sighed, wrapping his arms around his waist. "I know. And I'd let you do it if it wouldn't mean that you'd end up going to jail because of it.” Pouring the sauce into one of the bowls, he glanced over at Lovino as he worked on draining the pasta for the second bowl. “So what do you want to do?”

Glancing up, Lovino shook his head, his shoulders drooping. “I don’t think there’s anything we  _ can _ do… The reason that Klaus hasn’t called the cops already is because he and Lutz would get put into foster care and more than likely separated, because he feels like no one would want to take care of a teenager… And unfortunately, he’s not wrong about the adoption rate…” Lovino trailed off, chewing on his lip as he picked up one of the bowls.

“So what do you want to do about it?” Matthew asked gently, and when Lovino glanced over, he could see the faintest amused smirk pulling at the corners of his lips, though he was obviously trying to hide it. “Are you beginning to reconsider your earlier statement?”

_ And there’s that smug teasing tone to his voice… Why does he have to sound so hot like that? _

Puffing out his cheeks, Lovino huffed, sticking his tongue out. “Maybe I am.” He paused, eyebrows creasing with worry. “...If they would even have us…”

Picking up the other bowl, Matthew chuckled, walking over to Lovino and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to ask then, won’t we?”

Lovino couldn’t help the smile that spread onto his face. “Well, it’s like you said: it just wouldn’t be Neverland without its Lost Boys…”


	20. Epilogue

**45 Years Later…**

Burying his face into the warmth of his scarf, Klaus sighed, looking down at the flowers in his hands. He wasn’t sure why he still felt so nervous to visit them after all these years, but he couldn’t help the way that his hands shook, even if it was partially from his bones protesting against the cold. He blinked when he felt the arm that draped itself over his shoulder.

“Everything will be fine, K. It’s just a visit,” Lutz teased, coughing into his arm after a moment when a particularly strong gust of wind blew past them. “This isn’t the first time we’ve been here.”

Another sigh fell from Klaus’s lips as he merely shrugged lightly, beginning their trek down the sidewalk that wound between the hills.

Time hadn’t passed easily for either of them, but then again, it never had. Their lives had been an uphill battle from the beginning, and it was only because of the kindness that Matthew and Lovino had shown to them that they had managed to salvage the broken wreck that their lives had previously been. The couple may not have been their biological fathers, but they had sure as hell loved the brothers more than their actual mother and father ever had.

And it hadn’t been just Klaus and Lutz that they had adopted either.

There were several others that had sought out and ended up calling the family their home: Felicia, a young Italian girl who had lost her parents in a drive-by shooting, she herself having been paralyzed from the waist down by a stray bullet, and her older sister Chiara passing away from leukemia merely two years after Matthew and Lovino had adopted them both; Thomas, a trans teen who had run away from his overly religious foster family that had been trying to force him into conversion therapy; and Amelia, a pre-teen girl who had been abducted as a child and sold into a human trafficking network, her family dead by the time that she was rescued, leaving her with nowhere to go.

They had all suffered greatly in their lives, but there was a common thread that had brought them all together. It was the love and acceptance that Matthew and Lovino had shown towards not only each other, but also to the children that always needed a helping hand or gentle reminder that they were always important and special.

Because that’s sometimes all that it takes.

Glancing up from the bouquet in his hands, it wasn’t until the brothers came to one of the stones jutting out of the hillside that they had stopped, the rest of their adoptive siblings already waiting for them as they had every year prior.

“Took you two long enough to get here. I thought my balls were going to freeze off while waiting for you guys,” Thomas mumbled with a smirk, rubbing his hands together as he blew warm air onto them to stave off the cold. He only snickered as Amelia lightly slapped his arm.

“You don’t have any _ to _ freeze off,” Felicia retorted from her wheelchair, rolling her eyes and sticking her tongue out before pulling out several candles from the bag on her lap and beginning to light them.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s my fault. Pretty sure I have a kidney stone,” Lutz stated with a dismissive wave of his hand as Thomas tried to reach up and ruffle his hair. Not that Thomas even came anywhere close to being able to reach the top of Lutz’s head.

Klaus couldn’t help the amused smile that ghosted across his lips. It was like they had been instantly transported back to their childhood, back to the warmth that their little family had created, as if time hadn’t changed anything.

“Alright, _ boys_,” Amelia scolded, crossing her arms and tapping her foot against the ground, “we’re here for a reason. _ Not _ to goof around…” She tilted her head over to Klaus with a nod as she began taking the lit candles from Felicia, placing them in the candle holders on both sides of the stone.

There was a long moment of silence as Klaus laid the bouquet he carried at the base of the gravestone, the unspoken words of loss and love and grief being shared between the five siblings.

It had been five years since their fathers had passed away together, and none of them quite knew how to heal from it. But perhaps it had been fitting in a way, that Matthew and Lovino had loved each other so much and so deeply that neither of them could physically exist in a world where the other didn’t. Even in death, they would never leave each other’s side, just as they had been throughout their life together.

And each year, the five siblings would visit their fathers’ grave on the anniversary of their death to keep the story of their love alive.

“Alright, let’s go eat and get warmed up. I’m pretty sure it’s going to end up snowing tonight,” Amelia said eventually, clapping her hands together.

As everyone began to chat among themselves and make their way down the sidewalk, Klaus found himself hesitating, lingering back as a chill passed down his spine. Blinking slowly, he glanced back towards the grave. His breath caught in his throat as he noticed the shimmering outlines of two young men waltzing together around the tombstone.

They looked exactly the way that he remembered seeing them for the first time all those decades ago. He could see the love in their gazes as they soundlessly laughed together, stealing kisses from one another. He couldn’t help the way that his heart soared when the pair turned their gazes toward him and waved.

“Hey, Klaus, you okay?”

The hand on his shoulder jolted him out of his reverie, shattering the illusion and making the figures disappear. Had he just imagined the entire thing?

Glancing down, Klaus noticed one of the roses from the bouquet now laying near his foot and the feeling of unseen eyes watching his movements, even though he could no longer see any trace of the misty spirits. Perhaps he wasn’t going crazy after all. A small secretive smile rested upon his lips as he looked up at Lutz’s confused gaze. “Yes. Let’s go,” he murmured, sticking his hands in his pockets and walking ahead of his brother to catch up to the others.

_ I guess a love like theirs will never truly die. _

* * *

_ In Loving Memory of_

_Matthew & Lovino Williams-Vargas_

_ July 1, 1996 / March 17, 1996 _

_ November 22, 2076 _

_ Beloved Husbands & Fathers _

_ “You know that place _

_ Between sleep and awake, _

_ That place where you can _

_ Still remember dreaming? _

_ That’s where we’ll be waiting, _

_ Somewhere in Neverland.” _


End file.
